


Walk the Same Path

by Mark629 (dialogue62)



Series: Toradora! - Walk the Same Path [1]
Category: Toradora!
Genre: Air Force, Australia, Bullet Train, California, Comedy, Complete, Depression, Drama, Earthquakes, Engagement, F/F, F/M, Hawaii, High School, Horseback Riding, Hospitalization, Hot Springs & Onsen, Hurricanes & Typhoons, Injury, Izu Islands, Japan, Marriage, Military, Minor Character Death, Modeling, Obon, Okinawa, Pandemics, Pregnancy, Rescue, Romance, Shopping, Singing, Snakes, Sunburn, Tokyo (City), Weddings, Yandere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2019-03-07 00:19:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 273,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13422690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dialogue62/pseuds/Mark629
Summary: Gone for their senior year, Taiga returns just as she did during the credit roll of the last episode of the anime. But things could have turned out far differently. She wasn't the only one that changed in that year. I do not own Toradora!





	1. Unreunited

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Toradora!](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/390539) by Yuyuko Takemiya. 



> Toradora! apparently has a different ending in the Anime than the VN or other formats. Specifically, in the Anime version, Taiga did not come back until graduation day but in the VN she came back for the senior year. This story follows the Anime version, so if you are only familiar with the VN, the opening may seem a bit wrong to you. 
> 
> That being said, please enjoy the story. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you will enjoy it too.

**Ohashi High School, Graduation Day**

* * *

There was a momentary glimpse of that long dirty blond hair in the window of the classroom that they all shared when they were second years. Classroom 2C. It must be her. The graduating students in the courtyard showed interest but not alarm as one of their own suddenly dashed back into the school building. Feet slapped the floor in long strides as the lone figure ran through the locker room. Strong legs took the stairs two at a time. No-one was in the long hall that led to that familiar classroom so the approaching figure gave away a warning as the sound of each footfall echoed down the long hall. The door to the room flung open but there was no-one in sight. The desks, having finished their use for the year were lined in perfect rows, the chalkboards clean, the lone utility locker… Of course.

Taiga had wanted to surprise Ryuuji but she could hear the footsteps coming right up to the locker and she knew she was found. Sure enough, the handle cranked, the door opened, and there stood…

"Minorin?" Taiga gasped, "I… I thought you were..."

"Ryuuji..." Minori looked sad as she appeared to be finishing Taiga's sentence. With tears already present but not yet spilling down her cheeks, Minori looked into Taiga's eyes and told her beloved friend, "Ryuuji won't be coming for you."

"What?" Taiga trembled with disbelief and rage at Minori's words, "Why the hell not?"

"Because he has finally found happiness…" Minori said without any inflection, "with someone else."

"No," Taiga was furious, "That disloyal mutt!" Taiga's rant stopped as Minori's right hand slapped her across the face so hard, she found herself sprawled on the floor several meters away from where she had been standing. Stunned, Taiga looked up in shock at the pink haired girl that had long been her best friend.

"He finally found happiness after despair almost destroyed him." Minori's fists were clenched in her own rage.

"Minorin?" Taiga's confusion stung like the side of her face that bore a silhouette of Minori's right hand. "Despair?"

"Despair caused by a selfish little bitch that made him love her, then just walked out of his life." Minori glared at the miniature girl still on the floor where she had fallen, "Oh Taiga why… why did you do it?"

"I left a note..." Taiga cried out desperately. She could taste blood in her mouth from the slap. She tried to get up but her arms and legs were trembling and didn't want to work right. Her inner voice was crying out, ' _This can't be happening. I didn't want this. He was supposed to wait for me!_ '

"A note? You left a note and sent us all a picture of Venus! But you never called and you never answered!" Minori yelled at her.

"Venus?" Taiga began to shake. Everything was crashing, falling apart, "It was supposed to be a star. So what if I didn't call? I left a note..."

"Forget about the damn note!" Minori screamed, "Even after he gave up on calling you… as he wasted away… dying right in front of all of us… you still could have saved him. I called you. His mother called you. Ami-chan even called you... everyone called you!"

"Dying?" Fear suddenly grasped Taiga's heart amidst the anger and confusion.

"You could have saved him with three words. That's all he needed from you, but I guess you couldn't be bothered." Minori glowered down at Taiga as she took three steps to stand over the diminutive girl's body, "So, what's your excuse? Battery ran out? Lost your phone?"

"Minorin, please tell me. He didn't die did he? You saved him, right?" Taiga pleaded.

"First tell me your excuse!" Minori hissed.

"I put the phone in a box after I sent the picture of the star. I didn't want to use it as a crutch. I wanted to prove to him… and to me, that I could stand on my own." Sobbing, she begged her former best friend, "Please tell me he isn't dead!"

"Congratulations on learning how to stand on your own. You may be relying on that skill more than you had thought." Minori's voice finally softened as she told Taiga, "I didn't save him, but he isn't dead."

"Thank you, Minorin!" Taiga sobbed and reached for Minori's hand.

"Don't thank me yet," Minori took Taiga's hand and prepared to deal more pain than the slap ever had, "Someone else saved him… and married him."

"Ah!" Taiga cried out as if she had been stabbed. The world that had become too crazy, went dark.

Holding Taiga's hand firmly, Minori had prevented a concussion from Taiga's head slamming into the hard tile floor when she passed out. Unable to hold onto the rage any longer, the wracking sobs started and the tears burst from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Minori sat down next to the small but inert body and cradled the familiar face in her lap. It was several minutes before she could choke back the tears enough to say words again.

"Why Taiga?" she bawled, "Why did you come back?" Finally looking up, Minori saw that dozens of students had come into the room and more were out in the hall. There was no talking or even whispering as they all looked on the scene before them with shared heartache. If Taiga woke up now, she would see almost all the friends she had made that year. Almost. She would notice the three that were missing. Then it would be her turn to deal with despair.

.

* * *

**I have added the section below at the request of many readers that were getting confused with the names. I can understand completely. With the cultural habit of using first names or last names or cutsie versions of those names – added to the myriad honorific suffixes, as well as the familial** **titles (Onee-chan…), it can be very confusing.**

 

**There is an updated version of this reference at Chapter 22, but don't skip ahead! The update does include spoilers.**

 

**I hope this helps you enjoy the reading.**

* * *

 

**Toradora  
** **Walk the Same Path**

**Cast of Characters**

 

At the point of the story that I put this together, the storyline is in the spring of 2009. Because of this, some of the characteristics may vary from published canon resources since they represent 2008 statistics. A year will not have affected Yasuko or other adults very much, but many of the teenagers will have grown some in that time.

 

**Aisaka Taiga** (Taiga-chan)  
female 145cm 34kg Birthday: 07/26/91 Amber eyes long orange-gold hair  
Along with Takasu Ryuuji, she is one of the two main characters of the Toradora story. After falling in love with each other, she left to prove herself – go find herself – whatever. According to canon set forth in the  anime, she returns a year later on Ryuuji's graduation day.

 

**Takasu Ryuuji** (Ryuuji, Takasu-kun, Taka-chan, Takasu, Ryu-chan, Ryuuji-kun, Takasu-san)  
male 177cm 80kg Birthday: 04/11/91 black eyes shoulder length blue hair  
This is a good place to explain names. Use of the first name suggests familiarity, so more to less familiar for him would be: Ryu – Ryuuji – Taka – Taskasu  
Suffixes generally convey levels of respect, so childish to respectful would be: chan – kun – san - senpai – sama. Ergo, his mother calls him Ryu-chan – which shows an extreme degree of familiarity, while a stranger would call him Takasu-san.

 

**Takasu Yasuko** (Ya-chan, Yasuko, Takasu-chan)  
female 163cm 60kg Birthday: 06/04/76 brown eyes long blond hair  
Mother of Takasu Ryuuji. Ryuuji is in the habit of calling her by her first name. Although there is a word for 'mother', Ryuuji never uses it because it makes Yasuko feel old.

 

**Kawashima Ami** (Ami-chan, Ami, Amin, Kawashima-san)  
female 170cm 50kg Birthday: 11/14/91 violet eyes long blue hair  
Ami is the daughter of a media star (Kawashima Anna), is already a model and has aspirations to be a star herself. She fell in love with Ryuuji toward the end of the anime, but realized it was too late and supported Taiga instead of making a play for him herself. According to canon set forth in the  anime, she stops using the airhead facade around Ryuuji and starts to just 'be herself' as encouraged by Ryuuji.

 

**Kushieda Minori** (Minorin, Kushieda, Minori-chan, Kushieda-san)  
female 166cm 58kg Birthday: 01/18/92 purple eyes short pink hair  
Highly energetic, dreams of being a softball player at the international level. Ryuuji's original love interest, he gave her up for Taiga during the course of the anime.

 

**Kitamura Yusaku** (Kitamura-kun, Kitamura, Maruo (nickname), Yusaku)  
male 169cm 66kg Birthday: 08/30/91 dark blue-green eyes short dark blue-green hair  
Ryuuji's first friend. Maya and Taiga's original love interest in the anime. His love interest is Sumire Kano who has already graduated from high school and is studying abroad in America.

 

**Kihara Maya** (Maya-chan, Maya, Kihara, Kihara-san)  
female 161cm 46kg Birthday: 12/03/91 red-brown eyes long orange-brown hair  
She is realizing that her crush for Kitamura will be unrequited; he will not give up his love for Sumire. Best friend: Kashii Nanako. Raised as an only child, has some issues with sharing. Resents other people becoming friends with her friends – feels like they are trying to take them away from her. Doesn't like change.

 

**Kashii Nanako** (Nanako, Kashii, Nanako-chan)  
female 158cm 44kg Birthday: 05/24/91 purple eyes long purple hair  
Also raised as an only child, she is a childhood friend of Kihara Maya. She is more accepting of additional friendships and change than Maya.

 

**Haruta Koji** (Haruta, Haruta-kun, Koji-san)  
male 170cm 72kg Birthday: 04/20/91 blue eyes long dark blue hair  
Childhood friend of Hisamitsu Noto. From a large family and has an attractive girlfriend that goes to a different school (she appears only once in the anime and is unnamed).

 

**Hisamitsu Noto** (Noto, Noto-kun, Hisamitsu-san)  
male 168cm 66kg Birthday: 02/17/92 brown eyes short sandy-brown hair  
Childhood friend of Haruta Koji and also from a large and influential family. In love with Kihara Maya. Studious and intelligent, he can be courageous when the situation requires it.

 

**Koigakubo Yuri** (sensei, Yuri-chan, Koigakubo-san)  
female 162cm 57kg Birthday: 08/12/78 red-brown eyes long red-brown hair  
Sensei means 'teacher', and she is a teacher at the high school that Ryuuji, Ami, Noto, etc. go to. Unlucky in love, in the anime she was very distressed about hitting thirty and not having a romantic interest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **The story takes place in the April, 2009 – March, 2010 school year. Natural events, as described in my story, are historically accurate.**
> 
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	2. Done

_Don't depend on others._

_Figure it out yourself._

_I won't cling to you the way the tiger does._

_And I won't become your shining sun, the way Minori-chan is._

_I, Kawashima Ami, will walk the same path as you._

_It's just that I'll always be one step ahead._

**The previous May, 2009.  
Only a month after starting their third year.  
Three months after Taiga's departure.**

* * *

Takasu Ryuuji’s eyes looked dull as if his body was awake but his consciousness had given up and no longer cared. Walking through the halls, he no longer seemed aware of his surroundings and walked past students and teachers as if they weren't there. As if they had never been there. Even though many of them called out to him, desperately trying to get his attention, there was no reaction. It wasn't as if he didn't recognize them – moreover it was as if he never saw them at all.

His life, what little sign of life he exhibited, was on automatic. He woke up in the morning and made breakfast and lunch for himself and Yasuko. He washed up, got dressed, walked to school, and went directly to his desk. At lunch, he pulled out his lunch and looked at it. He didn't bother to open it up… there was no point. Nothing tasted right anymore anyway. When lunch time was over, he put it away and did the assigned schoolwork until it was done. When he finished, he collected his things and walked home. Sometimes that would be several hours after school was out but he didn't notice. A few times, he left before the bell rang. None of the teachers tried to stop him. They could all see how withdrawn he was from the emotional pain, and his grades were still in the top percentiles. His brain was obviously still working but emotionally, he seemed to have completely shut down.

Due to her own inability to reach him, his mother was now so dejected, she stayed in her room and cried until he left every morning. When she did emerge from her room, she would find the breakfast he had made for her on the table next to the breakfast he had made for himself. It was untouched as if he had forgotten what to do with it after he made it. She found his uneaten lunches when he came home from school and knew he had stopped eating altogether. His dead eyes, his skin losing it's pallor, and the gaunt look that comes from starving the body of any nourishment… it was too much for her. She was scared she was going to lose her only son and it was killing her. Gone was her seemingly eternal youth now. Grey hair now snaked into the vanishing blond locks, and lines were on her face that had never been there before. In the short span of months between the start of the academic year and the summer break, she looked as if she had aged a lifetime.

His best friend Kitamura finally gave up after talking, cajoling, yelling, and screaming got no more reaction than a blank stare. No-one faulted him for giving up. He had tried hard to reach the person in the shell that still attended classes. But he had utterly failed to reach the Ryuuji everyone had come to know.

There had recently been a particular spring day that should have been dark and gloomy with rain, but it wasn't. There should have been signs that something was about to go terribly wrong, but it was the kind of day that everyone usually looks forward to. The temperature was pleasant, the sakura petals drifted in the gentle breeze, and there were just enough clouds in the sky that the sunlight could give the landscape that 'dappled sun-scape in motion' look. But in classroom 3-C, dust had been kicked up in the air from the desks and chairs now scattered and tumbled around the room. Kitamura had finally been pushed past his limit and the violent outburst surprised everyone. No less than five of his friends held him back now. They were holding him in check from doing himself or his best friend any more harm. Kitamura's hands were bloody, his bloodshot eyes seemed to bulge out of his face in constant rage, his muscles tensed from trying to free himself from hands and shoulders holding and blocking him from advancing on the sprawled out figure on the floor.

Ryuuji barely moved. He looked like a broken marionette being mamipulated by a drunken puppeteer, but he stirred. There were gasps and some sobbing as he lifted his head up off the floor. A small trail of blood and spittle connected his swollen face and lip to the floor where he had been lying. He had been trying to stand but his left arm didn't seem to be working right. Finally pulling himself into a sitting position, he cradled the arm that seemed to be inexplicably bent in the wrong direction and studied it as if he were studying a small animal that showed no signs of trauma but was dead nonetheless.

"Damn it Ryuuji!" Kitamura screamed at him, "Can't you see what you're doing to yourself… what you're doing to everyone around you?"

"Dude, ya gotta stop!" the usually laid back and cheerful Haruta had is arms around Kitamura and was pushing back against the determined class president's chest with all his might. He begged Kitamura, "He's not even fighting back."

"Your mother looks awful from worrying about you and Minori-chan won't stop crying! You know how bad it has to be for Minori-chan to cry!" Kitamura screamed with all the power of his lungs, "Don't you care at all?"

“Stop it! Just… stop it!” Minori screamed through her hands that covered her face from this disastrous scene.

The only reaction from Ryuuji was that he looked up in the vague direction of the loud noise. There was no expression on his face that he understood a single word of what Kitamura had to say. Or, perhaps he understood the words but not their meaning or how they might apply to him.

"Don't you even care about Minori-chan?" Kitamura chewed the words out but he was no longer struggling against those that would hold him back.

"Stop! Don’t… don’t say it!" Minori was suddenly on her feet and desperately trying to get Kitamura to not say anything further.

"You used to love Minori-chan." Kitamura said the words so quietly that no-one would have heard them if the class had been at its normal mayhem. "Don't you even care about Minori-chan any more?"

"No! Don't..." Minori's face was streaked with tears as Kitamura's futile attack withered and died. Minori took Ryuuji’s complete non-reaction to Kitamura’s question as his answer. There was nothing left inside Ryuuji for her any more. It hurt to know that, but then – it appeared there was nothing left for anyone else either. Dammit Taiga!

"Don't you care about anything… anything at all?" There was no fight left in Kitamura now. No hope, nothing left of his struggle to save Ryuuji. This had been his final assault to reach his long time friend and it had failed. The failure left him feeling disgusted and cold, if not bitter.

"What's going on here?" a teacher's voice came from the door. At first, no-one said anything. Kitamura cleared his throat and was about to take responsibility when the be-speckled Noto spoke up.

"Just what it looks like, sensei." He told the teacher in a monotone, "Takasu Ryuuji is not feeling well. He lost his balance and fell into all those desks. I think he hurt his arm. "

"I see." the class held it's breath as the teacher walked into the room and stood before Ryuuji. Surely no-one would believe such a blatant lie.

"Takasu-san." the teacher called out to the kneeling figure.

No response.

"Takasu Ryuuji!" he yelled at the empty teen.

Ryuuji raised his head and saw the teacher for the first time but seemed to have comprehension problems as to why the teacher was there or why the noise was necessary.

"Infirmary, now!" the teacher bellowed.

It took a few minutes, but Ryuuji did seem to understand that much. It took him several more minutes to get into a standing position and walk out of the room, but when he did… he did it alone. The teacher noticed this too.

"Class rep," the teacher ordered, "have someone collect Takasu Ryuuji's things and get them delivered to the infirmary. Then get this room back in order." The teacher was about to leave when he heard Kitamura speak up briefly.

"Sensei, I have to report that I... OOOOF!" Kitamura was doubled over and on his knees from both Noto Hisamitsu and Haruta Koji sucker punching his gut as he tried to confess to fighting in the classroom.

"Student Council President," the teacher said slowly and softly but with a degree of anger, "listen to me very carefully. It would seem that you have some very good friends that are doing their best to try to save you now. To dishonor them with some ill chosen words would be most disgraceful. I will not ignore such dishonor and disgrace, should you choose that path. I will make sure that all parties involved receive the full measure of discipline that is possible." He paused and took a breath, then asked, "Do I make myself perfectly clear, Student Council President?"

"Yes sensei!" Kitamura gasped.

"Very well." and without any further comment, the teacher quickly left the room and headed for the infirmary.

"He wasn't moving very well," someone commented as Minori made her way over to the kneeling and still gasping Kitamura.

"No kidding," Haruta replied, "Dude hit him with a desk!"

"There must be another way to reach him." Minori said to Kitamura.

"I no longer believe there is anything left to reach." Kitamura admitted in words not of anger but of desperation. The sounds of desks being moved back into places and belongings being picked up came to a sudden halt. Minori and several other people gasped at Kitamura's remark.

"You…" Minori gasped, "you can't believe that!"

"Kushieda-san," Kitamura told her, "I don't think you know how much Ryuuji-kun loved you before he ever met Ta… her."

"What?" Minori didn't want to hear this now. She certainly didn’t want the rest of the class hearing about it, but Kitamura was pressing on.

"For two years he loved you from afar. Never believing he was good enough for you, he wrote letters, poems, recorded music, and made drawings. All for you. He had them in a box big enough to store a large rice cooker. Last time I saw the box, it was almost full."

"I… I don't see what that has to do..." Minori was furious with Kitamura for saying something so embarrassing in front of the whole class.

"If he doesn't care about the pain he is causing his mother or you," Kitamura let those words sink in for a moment, "I don't think there is anything left of the Takasu Ryuuji that I knew."

A hush swept over the classroom and even Minori could not argue with Kitamura's verdict.

"We can still try though." Minori said the words, but there was almost no hope left in them.

"I am leaving for America during the summer break." Kitamura announced.

"What?" several voices rang in.

"The collegiate school year starts in August in America and I will be starting this coming fall semester." Kitamura said.

"But… graduation?" Minori asked.

"A special dispensation from the school.” Kitamura explained, “I will have completed all the required courses so the school will allow me to graduate early."

The rest of the class realized the futility of arguing with him further. The fall semester for third years was primarily for preparing for college entrance exams but it seemed that Kitamura already had that taken care of.

"The same university as Kano Sumire?" Minori asked.

"Yes." Kitamura admitted.

"You know," Minori pointed out, "this is exactly what she didn't want you to do. She didn't want you chasing after her."

"I know," Kitamura smiled, "but her logic was flawed. Because she was a year ahead of me she never noticed, but I am a better student than her. I will arrive a semester behind her but by the end of the second academic year, I will be ahead of her. And then, at least academically, she will be chasing after me."

"Dude!" Haruta cheered him on.

"She's not going to see that coming!" Noto smirked.

"But..." Minori said in desperation, "With both you and Taiga gone? I can't do it! I can't do this without you!"

"Minori-chan," Kitamura said kindly but firmly, "If Taiga had never left, you wouldn't need to. As I have already demonstrated, I can't reach him at all."

"No no no..." The tears were rolling down Minori's cheeks as Kitamura read the sentence on their emotionally lost friend.

"You have your own dreams to work for. If by some miracle you did save him, what would he do when he wakes up and realizes that you sacrificed your dreams for him?" Kitamura looked at the floor and sighed, "You would just lose him all over again."

"But… he is our friend!" Minori's anguished voice carried her pain to everyone in the room.

"The thing that sits in that desk is not my friend." Kitamura said resolutely, "but if the Friend that I knew comes back… or even tries to come back, I will welcome him with all my heart."

"But, how can he…" Minori pleaded.

"He may need to hit bottom before he can come back." Kitamura answered, "or he may need to be hospitalized – but that is his family's decision. Either way, there is nothing we can do until he turns himself around."

"But…" a desperate Minori tried to continue her appeal.

"No." Kitamura looked into Minori's eyes to make sure she got the message, "I am done."

* * *

Kawashima Ami was saddened by their discussion but had already come to the same conclusion. She knew there was nothing that Kitamura or Kushieda could do. There were simply aspects of Ryuuji's personality that they had never known. Ami had seen them though and she knew there was a chance. It was slim, but it stood a better chance of working than throwing a desk at him.

The vibration from her phone distracted her momentarily. She looked at the message while the rest of the class quietly finished getting the room back in order. The text message was a response from the talent company confirming what she had asked for. It was time to get serious about working again, and it was time to take a chance on Ryuuji.

 


	3. No Plan Survives

**Don't depend on others.**

* * *

Ami took the right turn from her normal route home and walked up the street. She knew where she was going and she knew what she was going to say. A lot of planning and even rehearsing had gone into this effort and she was prepared. As she drew close to the run-down little apartment house next to the giant new condominium, she went over her lines one last time. Climbing the steps to the front door, she prepared her happy face for meeting Ryuuji's mother. It was too early for Ryuuji to be home yet, she had made sure of that. Ringing the doorbell now, she prepared herself to meet the sparkling eyed, blond that looked more like Ryuuji's sister than his mother.

The door opened and everything that Ami had prepared was lost as she looked at the shattered soul leaning against the door frame for support. Although Ami had heard Kitamura's comments that Ryuuji's mother was suffering, nothing had prepared her for this. She looked tired, defeated, and empty. The sparkle had gone out of the eyes leaving them dull and lifeless. Lines of worry, concern, and loss wore heavily on her face now. Her hair, that was always a honey blond explosion of merriment, was a dreary tangled mess. Silently, she cursed Taiga's name again. How could one person selfishly wreak so much damage on so many people? Ami looked at Yasuko and almost turned away. She had been so confident with her plan that she had no backup strategy. Sighing, she dropped the happy face that she had planned on using to win over Ryuuji's mother.

"Oh," Yasuko's eyes sparkled just a bit as she recognized the attractive young lady at the door, "One of Ryuuji's friends!" She put her finger to her lips and appeared to be thinking very hard for a few moments. Then with a start she smiled and said, "Ami-chan right? Please come in."

"Thank you, but I think maybe this was a mistake..." Ami started to beg off.

"Please!" Yasuko cried out as she took Ami's hand with both of her own. Ami was startled but she could see the desperation in Yasuko's eyes and feel the trembling in her hands. Ami knew what she was seeing. She had experienced this herself. This was cold fear. But in Yasuko's case, it wasn't fear for herself so much as it was fear for her beloved son.

"Maybe for just a bit?" Ami smiled and walked into the apartment. She had been here before and although it was quite a bit more run-down than her own residence or Taiga's palatial condominium, she had been envious of this place as it always seemed to be full of love. That feeling was gone now and replaced with a lonely desperation that just emphasized the darkness of the rooms. Walking through the entryway, she saw several unopened bills lying on the hall table. Nervously, Yasuko showed Ami to the table.

"Would you like some tea?" Yasuko offered as Ami took a seat on one of the cushions.

"Yes, please." Ami smiled as Yasuko turned around and stepped into the small kitchen. On the table were two opened letters that Yasuko must have been reading before Ami had arrived. One of them was a business format letter and was easy to understand. It was an eviction notice. Ami looked up at the kitchen but Yasuko was still intent on preparing the tea. Looking at the second letter, she could see from the handwriting that this was from a family member or friend. She saw a phrase on the letter and her eyes opened wide. Ignoring propriety, she reached across the table, picked up the letter and read it.

The letter was from Yasuko's father. It stated simply that he understood her predicament, and that he and Yasuko's mother still loved her very much. She was to return home with Ryuuji and the family would see to it that he would be hospitalized for his depression. A shadow moved over the letter she was reading and Ami looked up to see Yasuko standing next to her with a tray. The tray held an unmatched set of tea kettle and cups. There were a few cookies on the tray too. The lid on the tea kettle was beginning to rattle from Yasuko's trembling hands. Ami dropped the letter, stood quickly, and took the tray from Yasuko a moment before the poor woman collapsed in tears next to the table.

"I don't know what to do!" Yasuko sobbed into her hands as Ami put the tray on the table and knelt next to the sobbing woman. "He needs me and I want to help him so bad..."

"I know." Ami pulled Yasuko's head into her chest and let the mournful mother cry. Perhaps this was for the best. Ami would lose Ryuuji, but if it meant that he would get the help he needed…

"I don't want to go," Yasuko sobbed, "aside from Kitamura-kun, you guys are the only friends he has ever had and I think… I think he is going to need his friends."

“His only friends since he started high school?” Ami asked.

“Nuh… his only friends ever.” Yasuko cried.

"His friends..." Ami stopped what she was about to say. His friends… his _only friends ever_ … were leaving him. Taiga had already run off. Kitamura would be leaving in a few months. Even Miss Sunshine Minori didn't look like she would be able to hold out much longer. And even if she did, she would still be gone at the end of the school year to pursue her sports dream.

"What if..." Ami patted the matted mess of honey blond hair with a blended look of pity and disgust, "what if you don't have to go and we try together to get Ryuuji-kun back?"

"Eh?" Yasuko looked up into Ami's eyes with so much hope, it frightened Ami just a bit. "Anything!" Yasuko choked back tears and said clearly, "I'll do anything to save my beautiful little boy!" Yasuko wrapped her arms around the teenager desperately and swore, "Tell me! Tell me what to do and I'll do it!"

"Not you." Ami said confidently. She didn't really feel that confident but years as a model in front of the camera gave her the skills to look confident nevertheless.

"Eh?" Yasuko was afraid her hope was about to be smashed.

"Not you," Ami repeated, "us. _We_ are going to save him _together_." Her original plan did not involve a collaboration with Ryuuji's mom, but it would do no good to try and save one without the other. Ami already knew how much the big lug loved his mom, and now Ami knew how much his mother loved him. Their arms still holding each other, Ami could feel something new in the woman. Sadness and fear were still there, but now she could feel a surge of hope.

"What do we do?" Yasuko asked with so much hope coming through her voice that it brought a smile to Ami’s lips.

"Well, the first thing we're going to do," Ami smirked as she pulled on some of Yasuko's matted hair, "is take a bath."

.

* * *

In the bath, Yasuko did not seem at all nervous about the nudity and Ami was used to getting undressed in front of other models, so it didn’t bother her either. It was more comfortable that way, but it wasn't what Ami expected. She thought she would impress Yasuko with her mature attitude, but there didn't seem to be anything about taking a bath with her son's high school aged friend that bothered Yasuko in the least. They had washed each other's backs and Ami noticed that Yasuko was actually smiling. It was when Ami was washing Yasuko's hair that she noticed the older woman was humming. Nothing about the nudity had bothered Ami, but the fact that she had made the depressed woman this happy in so little time and with so little effort, made the blue haired beauty blush.

"How should I call you?" Ami asked as she rinsed the shampoo from Yasuko's long lochs.

"Oh, please call me Ya-chan!" She giggled, "It would make me feel like we're sisters."

“Sisters...” Ami smiled at that thought but had a problem with ‘Ya-chan’. Taiga had used that nickname and she needed to distance herself from any reminders of… her. Instead, Amin offered, “Maybe I should call you onee-chan?”

"Oooooooooh!" Yasuko shrieked in delight. Forgetting the moment, Yasuko turned and embraced Ami in a big hug.

"Ah!" Ami gasped. Nudity in the bathroom with other girls was one thing, but this naked hug with a buxom lady that made her feel almost as flat as Taiga was something else entirely. Ami could feel the heat and knew she had a full face flush going on. "Um… onee-chan?"

"Oh yes," Yasuko released the teenager from the hug and held her out at arms length, "time for me to do your hair… Ami-chan?" The look on Yasuko's face made it obvious that she was asking if that was the right way to address Ami.

"Thank you, onee-chan!" Ami delighted Yasuko with her confirmation. Minutes later, Ami felt thoroughly relaxed as she felt the Yasuko's surprisingly strong fingers caressing and massaging her scalp and neck. Feeling thoroughly and lovingly pampered, Ami decided that if she had an older sister, she would want her to be just like Yasuko. That thought made her wonder something she had found curious but dismissed long ago.

"What are you thinking about?" Yasuko softly asked.

"How did you know?" Ami was surprised.

"Your face was so relaxed I thought you might just go to sleep. But now you look like you're thinking about something."

"Oh yeah," Ami admitted, "when you shampooed me, your fingers felt so good on my head and neck, I thought I was in heaven." She sighed and added, "We have got to do this again some time!"

"Thank you!" Yasuko giggled, "I'd love to pamper my little sister!"

"Yes!" Ami agreed, but the sister comment reminded her of the curiosity, "Onee-chan, if you don't mind me asking… how old are you?"

"How old do you think I am?" Yasuko returned in a sing-song voice. She didn't sound hurt or upset… just playful.

"Well," Ami decided to answer from her impression of Yasuko from before Taiga's abrupt departure and Ryuuji's resulting spiral into depression, "I would think you were in your twenties, but Ryuuji is seventeen so that doesn't make sense."

"Ryuuji is eighteen now." Yasuko sounded a little saddened as she began working conditioner into Ami's long tresses, "His birthday was the eleventh of April."

"Oh," Ami was surprised but remembered not too long ago Ryuuji explaining that his birthday was coming soon and he would elope with Taiga. "I didn't realize I had missed it."

"I had hoped..." Yasuko trailed off.

"What?" Ami prodded. She couldn't see Yasuko's face but she thought she heard a sob from the woman still diligently working the conditioner into Ami's long blue hair. Ami tried again, "Onee-chan, what is it?"

"He never had a birthday party." Yasuko monotoned, "I had hoped that this year… since he finally had friends..."

"I thought Kitamura-san was his friend?" Ami offered.

"Yes," Yasuko choked back a tear and said, "he came over a few times but I always wanted to give my little boy a birthday party like other kids had… with lots of friends and a big cake..."

"It's okay onee-chan," Ami comforted with heartfelt words, "I know what you mean."

"How long do you let the conditioner stay in your hair?" Yasuko asked.

"This should be long enough." Ami was about to get up but Yasuko already had the spray handle and was rinsing out Ami's long hair as she gently combed through the long blue tresses. Ami relaxed again and wondered if Yasuko had ever been a professional stylist.

"To answer your question, I am thirty-three." Yasuko admitted with a little embarrassment in her voice.

"Thirty three?" Ami could feel the tension as she knew Yasuko was awaiting possible judgment, recrimination, disgust... Instead, Ami smiled and said, "Perfect,"

"Perfect?" Yasuko was stunned at that response.

"You really could be my onee-chan!"

For the last several months, Yasuko's eyes had often been wet with tears. But this was the first time in a long time that they were wet with tears of joy.

.

* * *

Ami and Yasuko came out of the bathroom in robes to the smell of stir-fry. That meant Ryuuji was home and already making dinner for his mother. Before she got any further in her thought process, Yasuko whispered to her,

"I left a note for him to make dinner for three." Yasuko smiled.

"Do you have enough?" Ami remembered seeing the unopened bills in the hall and the eviction notice on the table.

"Yes!" Yasuko said cheerily, but then admitted, "there won't be any meat."

"That's okay." she was about to say, 'I'm not Taiga', but instead finished with, "I don't need meat at every meal."

"Ah," Yasuko looked down at the robes they were both wearing and said, "I guess we should change."

"No, wait..." Ami bit her lip. Her well crafted plan was already in ruins but she had done well so far with improvising and a thought occurred to her, "Let's eat in the robes."

"Eh?"

"And listen," she said quietly to Yasuko, "I'm going to do something pretty bold, but I need you to let me get away with it."

"Is it going to help Ryuuji-kun?" Yasuko asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Ami sounded more sure than she felt, but she could tell that Yasuko wanted to be hopeful now. She hoped she would get some sign of agreement from Yasuko. What she got was another one of Yasuko's loving hugs. As the arms wrapped around her, she heard Yasuko's earnest voice in her ear.

"I love my little boy so much! So if you think you can save him… I'll do anything." The strong arms squeezed Ami in tighter, "If you need it, I'll get it. I am going to depend on you and you can depend on your onee-chan." Yasuko broke the hug and turned Ami around so they were looking into each other's eyes, "I will do anything you ask because I believe..." The lines of worry faded away from Yasuko's face and she looked young again as she finished the sentence, "I believe in you."

Ami was smiling confidently, but inside she was a mess now. How could Yasuko put so much trust in her? No-one had ever done that before. It wasn't the 'adult' thing; in their onee-chan game, Ami was decidedly the little sister. Those four words, "I believe in you" had immeasurable impact on Ami. Overwhelmed with hope, trust, and even love emanating from Yasuko, Ami moved on auto-pilot as she and Yasuko took their seats at the table. Ryuuji was already there and the table was set, but Ryuuji was motionless – just looking down at his plate.

.

* * *

Ami decided that food might be the way in to Ryuuji. After all, he had come home and still made dinner like he always did. And, seeing that there were three place settings, he was at least responding to food related topics. This was good; it was something she could use. As she and Yasuko got some rice and stir-fry on their plates, she looked over at Ryuuji, but he still didn't move; his plate remained empty. Looking over at Yasuko, it was plain to see from the look of disappointment that this wasn't unusual. Ryuuji had never looked chunky, but he wouldn't have been described as skinny either. But now, he looked gaunt. She would have to ask Yasuko to be sure but he looked like he might have lost fifteen or even twenty kilos. It was not a good look on him. His face was beginning to look like a skin mask stretched over a skull. Turning back to Yasuko, she smiled and winked.

Yasuko's expression went from defeat to shock instantly. And then, a spark of hope. For someone like Yasuko, a spark was all she needed. She didn't hold back either. Soon, the worry was gone and she was smiling again.

Ami had given Yasuko the wink to encourage her but was unprepared for the complete emotional reversal. The extent to which this woman trusted Ami was incredible. And scary too. Ami suddenly realized how catastrophic it would be for Yasuko if she couldn't deliver. Ami thrust that aside. She could not afford to let fear get in the way of her trying, or nothing would be accomplished.

"Oh, this is good!" Ami commented after her first bite.

"Yes," Yasuko responded after several awkward moments of silence from her son, "Ryuuji is really quite a good cook!"

"Open." Amy had her chopsticks with some of the food in front of Ryuuji's mouth.

Ryuuji didn't move. Yasuko watched carefully. She wanted to tell Ami not to bother with this approach. She had tried it too and no amount of begging would get him to eat. However, begging was not Ami’s style.

"Open!" Ami commanded after the sullen boy's initial lack of response. Yasuko's jaw dropped as Ryuuji obediently opened his mouth and accepted the food. Ami would never admit it, but she was channeling Taiga now. She remembered the time in the family restaurant when Taiga had poked and prodded at his face and called him her dog. And she remembered how startled she was when she saw the look of satisfaction on his face while Taiga was doing it.

"So..." Yasuko was looking for something to say other than to start making a big deal that Ryuuji was eating. She wanted to jump and shout and cry and laugh, but she saw how Ami was calmly reacting to this monumental change and she knew she had to do the same. "...um… so Ami, do you cook?"

"I wish I could say that I'm a good cook," Ami laughed, then took a bite from her chopsticks and finished it before loading up another bite for Ryuuji and continuing, "I even wish I could say that I'm a passable cook, but to be honest – the only thing I can cook is instant food." Then turning to Ryuuji with another bite of food at the end of her chopsticks and just in front of his lips, she said, "Open."

Ryuuji turned and glared at her.

She glared back at him. She thought for a moment it would turn into a staring contest, but he seemed to lose the energy to keep it up. His shoulders slumped, eyes cast down, and his mouth opened to accept the food.

"Hee hee!" Yasuko laughed cheerily, "We really should be sisters!" She laughed again and admitted, "He learned all about cooking and nutrition all by himself. Ryuuji makes all our meals because I'm really not very good at it either."

"Oh..." Ami pouted, "I don't have anyone to make me good food."

"I guess you eat out a lot then?" Yasuko asked.

"I do," Ami admitted, "but it looks like dining out is not all that healthy either."

"What do you mean?" Yasuko was confused since take out food was just about all she and Ryuuji ever ate until he was old enough to start cooking at home.

"Well, I plan to start modeling again soon but with all this instant food and all the take out meals..." Ami suddenly stood up and let the robe fall to the floor. She was wearing her underwear, but nothing else now. Using both hands, she pinched a band of extra padding around her waist and looked crestfallen, "I work out as hard as I used to and I can't seem to get rid of this so I've been wondering if it could be the food."

Both Ryuuji and Yasuko were looking at Ami standing there at the table in nothing but her underwear. This was the big gamble. If she could get the idea across to Ryuuji that she truly needed his help, then maybe… The problem would be Yasuko. Ami feared how the poor woman would react when she dropped the robe and revealed her almost naked body to Yasuko's son. Ami had really started to like Yasuko and hoped that she could be forgiven for this.

"Oh, I see." Yasuko stood and dropped her robe as well to reveal her own stunning body. She too was wearing only her underwear but didn't seem embarrassed at all as she ran her fingers across her own waist. "So you need it to look like this?"

Ami was caught between shock that Yasuko would do such a thing, and envy at the significantly more developed woman's body. Ami could see why she hadn't knocked Ryuuji off his feet when they first met now. His own mother was gorgeous. Everywhere that Ami had curves, Yasuko had bigger curves, but nothing in excess. No lumps or rolls or sags. Her skin was so smooth and flawless that it was hard to believe she had ever gone through childbirth. In her own right, she could easily be a model...

"Onee-chan!" Ami suddenly gasped in excitement.

"Yes?" Yasuko was a little taken aback by Ami's sudden excitement.

"You have a work-out to get that figure, don't you?" Ami really hoped she did.

"Yes," Yasuko said helpfully, "It isn't hard once you get used to it."

"Please..." Ami bent at the waist and appealed to both of them, "if you would work out with me and if Ryuuji would make me food that is good for me, I believe I can be ready for the show that my talent agency wants me to do during the summer break. I haven't been making any good progress… I don't think I can do this myself. Will you help me?"

"I… don't think we can." oddly, it was Yasuko that was declining the request. Ami looked up at this unexpected turn and saw that Ryuuji was also looking at his mother for an answer. Yasuko looked down and sounded miserable as she admitted financial defeat, "I lost my job and..."

"How bad..." Ryuuji actually spoke in a voice that sounded rough and cracked from lack of use, "how bad is it?"

"We have to be out by the end of the month." Yasuko answered her son, "Your grandfather has agreed to take us in but you'll have to transfer to a different school and..."

"Wait!" Ami said desperately. She was thinking quickly – after making so much progress in such a short time, she couldn't let it all fall apart now. There had to be another way. Another alternative. Ami could not let it end like this. "You can stay at my place!"

"Oh honey, that's so nice of you but we couldn't..." Yasuko started to decline but Ami wasn't having it.

"It wouldn't be an imposition, it's a big place. Ryuuji, tell her it's a big place!" Ami grasped.

"It..." Ryuuji remembered being there recently… with Taiga. He closed his eyes and remembered Taiga's face as they made their plans to run away in Ami's living room. For that reason alone, he wanted to decline the offer and just leave all of this pain behind. He had not heard of this plan to move in with his grandparents before but maybe a change of venue… Then he remembered, he had been with Taiga there too. In fact, there were even stronger memories there. Looking up at Ami's face, he could see the pleading in her eyes. She really did need his help. Turning back to his mother, he confirmed to her, "It is a big place."

"I'm all alone there and you'd both be doing me a huge favor getting me ready for the modeling show," Ami bowed again, "Please, onee-chan!"

"Ho ho," Yasuko laughed, "now that's cheating."

Still bowing, a smile spread across Ami's face when she heard Yasuko’s laugh. She knew she had won.

"You know I can't refuse you when you call me onee-chan." Yasuko smiled. Yasuko then turned to her son who had already talked more this evening than he had in the last month. She prayed he was up to just a little more. "Is that okay with you, Ryu-chan?"

"Yes," he answered but still seemed to be thinking about something. "But I have a question."

"Yes?" both Yasuko and Ami asked together. Ami was afraid of what question he might ask. Why was his classmate and his mother standing around the dinner table in their underwear? Why had they taken a bath together?

"Yasuko-chan," he called out to his mother, "Why is she calling you onee-chan?"

Both Ami and Yasuko laughed but they did give Ryuuji an answer… sort of. If you can call, "It's a girl thing." an answer.


	4. A Moving Arguement

**Figure it out yourself.**

* * *

Ryuuji was doing something useful. Physical activity that didn't require him to think very much was just what he needed. He wasn't up to packing the boxes but he could make endless trips picking up a recently packed box and moving it to the back of the delivery truck that Yasuko had borrowed from a friend. At least, that was what he had thought at the beginning. He was exhausted to the point of collapse after moving only six boxes. He sat in a heap in the shade of the hallway looking into a mirror and wondering why he was so weak. The boxes hadn't been particularly heavy, so why… His reflection gave him the answer to the question. His own face was almost unrecognizable and his arms and legs… For the first time since grade school his arms and legs looked thin and weak. How had it come to this?

"Taiga," his reflection seemed to suggest. He wanted to argue that verdict – defend the accused… but he could not. He looked away from the mirror and the recriminations, and his body of evidence. He wanted to look back and see if it had been an illusion, but he knew it was not. He had allowed his body to waste away and the honesty of the reflective glass on the wall would not allow him any denials.

"I've really let myself go." he admitted to himself as he finally looked back and took stock of his health situation. The self-evaluation was not good. He looked skeletal.

"It is an opportunity." he heard Ami's voice and looked up to see her watching him and holding a taped up box.

"Eh?" he didn't know she was still at the house and was surprised both by her observation, and her presence.

"You're going to be making healthy food for me so think about what you should be eating too." she explained her answer, "How do you want to rebuild yourself? Do you want to be stocky and strong like a boxer, lean and fast like a cyclist, or something else?"

"Right now I just want to be strong enough to load these boxes." Ryuuji moaned as he got up off the floor, "but yeah… I see your point." He reached to take the box from Ami but she kept it.

"There is another one back there on the floor," she said as she stepped past him towards the door, "I've got this one." Ami took the box out the door and down the steps but walked past the truck to where the trash bins were kept. Ami wanted to throw this box away. And because she wanted to do it, she knew she could. It didn't have to be the right thing to do, or a good thing to do, or even fair thing. She, Kawashima Ami, could throw this box away simply because she wanted to. This box should not survive…

"Ami-chan?" Yasuko's voice asked quietly from behind Ami, "what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Ami's head dipped as she stood there still holding the not-yet-discarded box in her arms. What was stopping her? Why hadn't she thrown away this stupid box already?

"What's in that box?" Yasuko asked with a bit of concern.

"Love letters, songs, poems..." Ami answered sadly.

"To Taiga?" Yasuko sounded puzzled.

"No," Ami answered, "well there may be something in here about Taiga, but it is mostly for Kushieda Minori."

"Minori-chan?" Yasuko's surprise in her voice made Ami smile a bit. Apparently, Ryuuji had been so good at hiding his crush for the pink headed jock that even his mother didn't know.

"Yeah," Ami explained, "Ryuuji had a crush on her since middle school but never got the nerve up to ask her out. That's how he got involved with Taiga… she was supposed to help him into a relationship with Minori-chan but… you see how that turned out."

"I see," Yasuko thought about all this, "you're worried that he might start getting better then get depressed all over again if he starts looking through this box."

"Yeah," Ami hadn't really thought much about that possibility. She just wanted to get rid of the box because it was all about Minori. It was also, to some extent, about Taiga. But there was nothing in that box that was about her. Nothing in there for Ami. "Something like that."

"Give me the box." Yasuko's words weren't harsh but they were firm. It broke Ami out of her melancholy and she looked up to see Yasuko's sad eyes. She was caught and she knew it. Without a word, she handed the box over to Yasuko and turned to walk away. She had only taken two steps back toward the house when she heard the loud thud of a box being dropped into the trash bin.

"What?" she said as she spun to see Yasuko also walking back from the trash bin empty handed. Ami's jaw dropped as she realized what Yasuko had done. "Why?"

"You are right," Yasuko took Ami's hand as she walked back toward the house. "After he is fully recovered he might have enjoyed looking through those memories. But until then… until he is fully recovered… we can't afford to let him go to pieces if he finds that box." Yasuko stopped walking and faced Ami, "He wouldn't survive that." Looking down with a ghost of the horror of the last several weeks haunting her eyes, she added, "I wouldn't survive that."

"But… he'll be mad!" Ami knew he would very well be furious.

"I'm sure he will." Yasuko bit her lip, "but I am his mother and he will have to forgive me… sooner or later." Looking up at Ami, she smiled and told the teenager, "I told you I would do anything for you. You are going to save my son. I believe that. But it will all fall apart if he gets mad at you."

This was the difference between them. As much as Ami had justified her actions, she knew she was doing something wrong. She was doing something despicable and she told herself she didn't care. She told herself the same thing she always told herself in situations like this. She was Kawashima Ami, and she didn't have to play fair. It had always worked before… hadn't it? Her reasons and justifications were all completely selfish. To satisfy her own petty jealousy, Ami wanted to throw the box away, but Yasuko would do the same thing out of love for her son. Not only were her own reasons altruistic, but she didn't see the selfish spirit in Ami. She was truly a good person, and chose to see the good in other people… even when it wasn't there.

"Onee-chan..." Ami realized she had called Yasuko by the sister nickname without thinking this time and was as stunned with herself as she was with Yasuko.

"It'll be all right if he is mad at me for a while, as long as he is okay. I can live with that." Yasuko gave Ami's hand a squeeze, then let go and headed into the house with a smile on her face and an eagerness to get to the next box.

"Onee-chan." Ami whispered as she watched the blond bombshell bounce up the stairs. Looking back at the trash bin, Ami realized that Taiga hadn't just fallen in love with Ryuuji. She had fallen for the family. If the grandparents were even half as wonderful as Yasuko, they should truly be the poster family for all of Japan.

.

* * *

"Takasu-kun, how is your arm?" Ami asked Ryuuji as they all sat in the western style chairs in Ami's living room and enjoyed the air conditioning.

"It's fine." Ryuuji lied. His arm was killing him and he knew it was going to hurt just as much tomorrow.

"Huh?" Yasuko asked, "What's wrong with Ryu-chan's arm?"

Ryuuji almost said something about it but he shut down when he remembered the moment. He remembered all the things Kitamura had said to him. His heart was already a mess with the huge gaping hole that was left by Taiga's departure and subsequent silence. That which remained of his battered heart was further fractured when Kitamura pointed out all the people he was hurting. Even his own mother had suffered because of him. That in turn, made him think about how he was so absorbed in his own sorrow that he didn't notice what he was doing to everyone else around him. The pieces of his broken heart were beginning to crumble and fall apart. He couldn't tell his mother about the fight with his best friend now. Not after she was starting to feel better herself. He looked away from Yasuko and could say nothing.

"There was..." Ami answered after it became apparent that Ryuuji wasn't going to answer her, "an accident up at the school and Ryuuji hurt his left arm." Ami downplayed it for Yasuko's sake, "I’m sure it’s nothing really. But after moving all those boxes I thought it might have aggravated something."

"Ryu-chan," Yasuko's eyes were open wide in concern, "are you okay?"

"Really, I'm fine." he tried to sound convincing, "There are just a few more boxes..."

"Oh no you don't," Ami stopped him, "Onee-chan and I can take care of the remaining boxes. You have work to do in the kitchen! After moving all this stuff, I'm hungry!"

"Fine." Ryuuji caved in, "What can I use?"

"The kitchen is yours," Ami said as she selected a box and picked it up, "I may not have a lot of good ingredients though… just do what you can with what I have on hand and we can shop for better stuff tomorrow."

Ryuuji turned toward the kitchen with very low expectations. He knew that Ami had been living off convenience store food and restaurants for a while so she was probably right about her own inventory of ingredients.

"Make sure you use something from the green cabinet!" Ami hollered to him as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Yes." he answered as he looked at the much more modern kitchen in Ami's house. A double oven, a range, an overhead hanging rack for the pots and pans, and there was the green cabinet. Odd, it wasn't very large? Opening it, he wondered what kind of special ingredients would be in this smallish cabinet. His mouth contorted into a twisted smile when he saw that it was a first-aid and medicine cabinet. And there, on the bottom shelf, were bottles of three different kinds of pain killers. He thought he had hid the pain pretty well but it looked like Ami could see right through him.

Acknowledging defeat, he selected the right pain killer for his particular pain, read the directions, and took the maximum recommended dose.

.

* * *

Lying in her bed that night, Ami was exhausted. They had successfully moved all the boxes and she had helped Yasuko to unpack most of them so there would be little to do during the week. Dinner had gone well too. She was surprised with what Ryuuji had been able to throw together. Apparently, her Aunt had left the kitchen better stocked that she had thought. Having been busy with helping Yasuko unpack, Ami hadn't had many chances to look in on Ryuuji while he was preparing the dinner. The few times she saw him, he looked pleased with his new kitchen.

Dinner went well… well as good as can be expected. Ryuuji still didn't put any food on his own plate, but he didn't resist when Ami prompted him to eat from her chopsticks.

After dinner, she and Yasuko took care of the dishes while Ryuuji took care of getting himself cleaned up. Ami noticed that Yasuko was humming while she was putting the dishes away. She smiled as she thought of how much Yasuko had changed from just this morning. Ami had to admit that she was impressed with Yasuko. Her new Onee-chan had the build of a model, a happy youthful persona, and the love of a mother all rolled up into one person. Thinking of the emotionally reserved nature of her own family, she was envious of Takasu-kun's mom. For a while Ami wondered what it might have been like growing up with a mom like Yasuko. She had a hard time imagining Yasuko as her mom, but as a big sister…

"Hey!" Yasuko's cheery voice came from right next to Ami's ear as the blonde's arms wrapped around Ami from behind, "Ryu-chan is done with the bathroom and gone to bed now. Are you ready to take another bath with your Onee-chan?"

"Hmmmm," Ami reached up to hold Yasuko's hands where they rested on her shoulders, "My Onee-chan… I like the sound of that." A smile spread across Ami's face as she basked in the warmth of Yasuko's hug. “Will you wash my hair again… like you did last time?”

“Of course!” Yasuko answered gleefully.

"A bath with Onee-chan sounds nice." Ami purred.

.

* * *

"Minori-chan," Ami called out to the red headed jock as she came off the softball practice field, "a moment?"

"Amin! Amin!" Minori cheered as she headed toward her tall statuesque friend with the long blue hair, "Sure, I've got a moment for Amin!" Minori didn't so much walk or run as she bounced over to her friend waiting by the water fountain.

Ami watched Minori with disdain. She could see that the bright cheerful act that Minori always played was wearing thin. Back when her health could back up that act, it was only annoying but now… There were bags under Minori's eyes either from lack of sleep or from crying. Although her smile and laugh looked real, they didn't work with eyes that looked tired and haunted. Eyes that used to be full of energy and mischief were still open wide but had the look of someone fearful of getting the next delivery of bad news. The act was beyond annoying now. Ami hated it. Minori could not be honest with her own feelings and she wore that dishonesty like a mask. This was not the time to get into it with Minori though. There would be time for that later. Now she needed to make the muscle-head understand something of a far more urgent nature. Ami waited with her own smile intact as Minori stopped to get a drink from the fountain.

"I will be eating lunch with Takasu-kun in the classroom today." Ami said simply. Her smile registered only a little surprise as she watched Minori splutter and choke on the water she was drinking.

"What?" Minori looked at her with astonishment, "What makes you think he will..."

"It is already arranged," Ami said the words without smugness or pride, but she could see how Minori would probably take offense to what she had to say next, "I discussed it with him when he made my lunch for me this morning."

"This morning?" Minori's expression was becoming thunderous, "Why were you with Takasu Ryuuji this morning?"

"I was with him last night too," Ami could see Minori's hands balling into fists, "as well as his mother."

"What?" Minori was still enraged but that last comment seemed to break the spell of her indignation just a bit.

"Minori-chan," Ami smiled at her incensed friend, "I am telling you this only because I believe you still care about Takasu-kun. The story that everyone will hear is that Takasu-kun and Onee… his mother, have moved in with me. They are doing this to help me get in shape to restart my modeling career. This is the story that I want you to make sure everyone believes."

"But the truth..."Minori was still outraged. She looked as if she might beat Ami's face to match the color of her hair.

"The truth is," Ami knew Minori had to hear the truth now or she really would lose it, "Takasu Yasuko lost her job because she was so devastated with what Takasu-kun was going through. She is broke. They were being evicted. Her only other option was to leave town, go back to her parents, and have Takasu-kun hospitalized for depression."

"What?" like a bolt of lightning, Minori's rage seemed to flash for an instant and was gone. Her hands were unclenched and a hollow look was in her eyes as she regarded Ami, "I… I didn't know."

"Listen Minori-chan, this is important." Ami looked the stunned pink-haired jock in the eyes, "I need you to make sure that Takasu-kun and I eat alone… at least for now."

"What?" Minori looked hurt more than angry now. Then, with a bit of suspicion, she asked, "What are you up to?"

"I am trying to save him." Ami said simply, "Yesterday I got him to join a conversation with Yasuko and me."

"Really?" all suspicion seemed to be gone with the news that Ryuuji had gone as far as talk to someone.

"Yes." Ami closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, "For now though, I think it would be best if you and Yusaku ate somewhere else."

"What? Why?" Minori was returning fast to somewhere between furious and indignant.

"Think about it." Ami helped her along, "If you were in the room he would wonder why you weren't eating with us. And if you were eating with us, who would be the only person missing?"

_Taiga._

_Dammit Taiga._

_Taiga you idiot._

"I understand." Minori looked down with the gloomy realization that Ami was right. But there was more to it than that. Even if Ami wasn't right, she was the only one to make any progress with Takasu-kun, so far. Minori was willing to do anything to help Ryuuji get better. She had already tried everything she could think of and could only watch with horror as his depression spiraled deeper and deeper. If the best thing she could do to help Ryuuji was to stay away from him, she would do that. Turning to go she said, "I'll make sure Kitamura-kun understands too. I'll stay away from him."

"Whoa there muscle-head," Ami stopped Minori with a hand on her shoulder, "this is a very difficult time for Takasu-kun, so we can have no misunderstandings. I never asked you to stay away from him… except for lunch."

"Really?" Minori turned back to Ami and smiled, "we can still be friends and everything?"

"Of course," Ami dropped her hand from Minori's shoulder and gave her best everything-is-going-to-be-okay smile.

"Yes!" Minori looked like she was about to give Ami a hug but just as suddenly, took a step back and bowed, "Thank you very much for taking care of Takasu-kun, Amin!"

“Oh… um… you're welcome.” The formal thanks caught Ami off guard, but she recovered quickly. After all, this was Minori; she always was a dinner plate short of a place setting anyways.

.

* * *

Minori was back to looking her usual excited self in the classroom. She was constantly watching Ryuuji to see signs of this recovery that Ami had told her about. At first, she noticed nothing and was starting to worry that Ami had exaggerated his improvement. Just as he had been for the past several weeks, he sat slumped in his chair and seemed uninterested in the world around him. But then, she started to notice the small things.

He was taking notes and actually seemed to be listening to the lecture.

His book was open to the right page and it looked like he was reading it instead of staring blankly at the page.

By the time lunch came around, Minori was quite excited. She glanced back at Kitamura and saw that he had noticed and was pleasantly surprised too. Unfortunately, the Student Council President had come in late and she hadn't had the opportunity to give him Ami-chan's instructions. Minori watched Kitamura pick up his lunch and start toward Takasu-kun. Minori looked back at Ami. Ami saw Kitamura coming as well and looked back at Minori with an arched eyebrow.

"Kitamura-kun!" Minori called out to him when he was half way to Takasu-kun's desk.

"Kushieda?" Kitamura stopped and addressed Minori.

"Meeting." she said as she picked up her own lunch, "Bring your lunch."

"Meeting?" Kitamura looked back at Takasu for a moment and noticed Ami pulling her chair over to his desk before he turned to follow the pink haired softball captain out the door. Several minutes later, he found himself following Kushieda into an empty classroom in the building wing on the other side of the courtyard from their own classroom. Minori went to the desks next to the windows and looked back at their own room without saying a word. Kitamura followed her gaze and watched the scene with amazement.

At first, things seemed fairly normal. Ami was sitting across from Ryuuji. She took a bite of her lunch while Ryuuji seemed to just sit motionless. Then the amazing part happened. Ami got a bite of food in her chopsticks and moved it to Ryuuji's mouth. From across the courtyard and with the windows closed, of course the two observers couldn't hear anything, but it looked like Ami just told Ryuuji to open his mouth… and he did. Eyes opened wide and mouths hung open as they saw Ami feeding Ryuuji from her own chopsticks.

"What…" Kitamura had trouble believing what he was seeing, "what is going on here?"

Minori looked around the room to make sure they were still alone. Then she told him everything. She told him what Ami had said and what she asked of them. She told him about her own concerns and suspicions. But in the end, the proof was right there in front of them. Kawashima Ami had made more progress with Takasu-kun than anyone else.

While Minori was talking, Kitamura was looking at the scene across the courtyard from him. He noticed more than just the two figures having lunch. He looked at everyone else in the classroom as well and could see that he and Minori weren't the only ones registering looks of shock and disbelief at the spectacle. He waited patiently for Minori to finish before he commented.

"Oh Ami," he said with a hint of sadness, "I do hope you know what you're doing."

"Eh?" Minori was confused. To her, the proof that Ami knew what she was doing was answered when she saw that Ryuuji was eating again.

"Look around the room at everyone else." he explained to Minori, "see how surprised they all are?"

"Um, sure." Minori wasn't any less confused.

"Ami and Takasu are eating from the same chopsticks..." Kitamura observed.

"Ah!” Minori gasped, "Indirect kiss!"

"... and she is feeding him his lunch..." Kitamura continued.

"Like lovers do!" Minori finished the sentence.

"It would appear that Ami has claimed him for herself." Kitamura concluded, then turned to ask the shocked Minori, "Do you really have no way to get in contact with Aisaka?"

"No," then angrily she shouted, "don't you think I would have by now if I could have?"

"I do, but I had to ask. If anyone would be able to reach her… it would be you." Turning back to watch the scene unfolding in the classroom across the courtyard, Kitamura asked Minori, "Have you figured out what is really going on over there?"

"Eh?" Minori thought she had, but she also knew that Kitamura could see things on levels that she never did.

"By now Aisaka has probably already lost Takasu." Kitamura explained, "but if there had been even a sliver of hope that she could come back into Takasu's life… it's gone now."

"What?" Minori was aghast, "How can you say that?"

"Look at them," he encouraged her, "and think about what you are seeing."

Minori watched for a while. Ryuuji no longer seemed forced in his acceptance of the food she was offering him. Ami was smiling and chatting as they ate their lunches. Ryuuji's stoic demeanor slowly fell and eventually he even seemed to be giving responses to some of the things Ami was saying. Ami was looking out the windows, or at things within the classroom, or at Ryuuji. But Ryuuji was looking only at her. It wasn't the blank look that he had been giving the world either. He was looking at her the way he used to look at Taiga. And, Minori admitted, the way he used to look at her before Taiga.

"Oh Taiga," tears welled up in Minori's eyes, "she's lost everything, hasn't she?"

"Maybe not everything." Kitamura consoled her, "She went away to find herself, right?"

"Yeah?" Minori said hopefully.

"Well, the price will have been high, but if she can do that… it's something."

"The price?" Minori looked at Kitamura.

"She will have lost Takasu, and all of her friends… except you I suppose."

"What?" Minori gasped, "You're still her friend, aren't you?"

"Not now." Kitamura admitted, "It will be a while before I can forgive her thoughtlessness and what she has done to Takasu." He sighed and continued, "In a little over a month I will be heading to America to study abroad. I will probably never see Aisaka again, but I promise you that I will always remember the fond times from last year."

"No..." Minori moaned in desperation as she realized just how much Taiga would lose. The vicious little sprite didn't know it yet, but the love of her life was slipping away and soon Kitamura would be gone as well. She felt Kitamura's hand patting her back as the tears began to fall.

_Dammit Taiga._

_Taiga you idiot._

 


	5. Summer Plans

**I won't cling to you the way the tiger does.**

* * *

Proper diet and exercise had done wonders for both Ami and Ryuuji. For Ami, the healthy cooking from Ryuuji was a joy but she had strongly considered changing Yasuko's nickname from _Onee-chan_ to _bouncy-bouncy-demon-woman-from-hell_. When it came to working out, it seemed that woman was a tireless fanatic. She had an overall workout for warming up and it seemed she knew a different tailor made exercise for every part of the body. In the beginning of this project, Ami thought this shouldn't be difficult at all for her. After all, she was an attractive teen at the prime of her life and she would be working out with someone in their thirties. This should have been a walk in the park.

It was the shrine at the top of a gazillion stairs that made Ami realize that she couldn't just rely on her youth to get her through this. They had both started at the bottom of the stairs that morning with smiles and energy. Ami watched in dismay as Yasuko bounced up the stairs along side her and never even seemed to get winded. In fact, she kept up a conversation with Ami and would even call out to other people in her bright cheery voice as she kept her pace up those never-ending stairs. When they did make it to the top, Yasuko smiled and enjoyed the vista of the park below as Ami lay gasping and panting on the cold paving stones that made up the walkway to the shrine. Looking up at the older woman still radiant as ever, Ami had neither energy nor smiles left.

That first day, Ami's legs felt like rubber and they were forced to end the exercises there. Every day after that, she made progress though. It wasn't long before Ami was able to keep up with Yasuko in a jog around the shrine and back down the long winding path after taking the stairs all the way to the top. After much cajoling, even Ryuuji joined them for this early morning run.

In the afternoons, Yasuko insisted that Ami concentrate on exercises that attacked specific parts of the body until Ami was completely worn out. After several days of Yasuko's extremely targeted exercise regimen, Ami decided to take a good look at herself. In the privacy of her room she looked into the full length mirror and used a hand mirror to see the exact places that had been targeted and was shocked to see flabbiness! So, Yasuko was targeting the flabby parts… but how did she know? They weren't exactly in easy to see places. The only way Yasuko could have known about many of these is if she had seen Ami's body in the nude…

"Baka..." Ami said aloud to herself. Apparently the nightly bath with Onee-chan was not as innocent as she had thought. At first, Ami was a little upset that the pleasant and relaxing bath time she had been sharing with Yasuko had also been used to gather information for her next grueling workout. Ami fell back onto the thick mattress of her bed and sighed as she reached for a good hug pillow. Upset gave way to appreciation as she remembered the conversation that had brought Yasuko and Ryuuji to come and live with her. This was exactly what she told Yasuko that she needed from her. Once Ami thought about it, she realized that Yasuko was doing exactly what had been asked of her and was trying to make it as pleasant as possible at the same time.

With that thought bringing a smile to her lips, Ami fell into a well deserved sleep.

.

* * *

Ami and Ryuuji were walking to school along the usual path. Ami kept rolling her shoulders trying to work out a nagging pain in her upper back and neck that had been bothering her since she woke up this morning. It wasn't working itself out though and she regretted having already left the house and forgetting to take a muscle relaxant.

"Upper back and the left side of your neck?" Ryuuji asked her after he watched her last futile attempt to work out the pain.

"Yeah," Ami said with mild surprise, "how did you know?"

"Yasuko used to get that a lot." he then asked, "Want me to fix it?"

"You can fix this?" Ami sounded skeptical.

"I think so," Ryuuji sounded confident if not completely sure of his ability, "I used to help Yasuko out when she got that pain."

"Okay," Ami challenged, "let's see what you've got."

"All right," he took her book bag from her and turned her around to face away from him, "stand up straight, feet shoulder width apart, arms out and head up like you're looking at the moon."

"Um… okay." Ami followed his instructions but was a little flustered at the almost professional tone he had when he was guiding her and telling her what to do. While she was wondering about that, she felt him move in close behind her. His right arm wrapped around her ribs and his left hand rubbed hard circles on the muscles to the left of her spine.

"Now, without moving your waist or leaning forward, bend your torso to the left as far as you can, and then to the right." He stayed with her as she moved. His right arm bracing her and the left hand working on her back. When she finished the movement, she was again standing up straight and the pain was gone.

"Wow." she was truly surprised that his trick really worked. "Thanks."

"Sure." he said as he disentangled his arm and stepped back from her. Ami felt the loss of him moving away from her and almost moved to pull him back. It had felt wonderful with his arm around her and his hand on her…

"What the heck was that all about?" Minori's voice came from behind them. Both of them turned to see a shocked and confused looking Minori just a few yards behind them. Ami immediately blushed but Ryuuji simply answered the question.

"Petrissage along the spinal muscle group relieves tension and swelling after a vigorous workout." Ryuuji answered Minori as if he were reading it out of a textbook.

"Um… yeah." Minori was stung by how completely emotionless Ryuuji's response to her was. Gone were the days when he would blush and stutter if she would just call out a hello to him. No longer did he avert his gaze and stumble over words just trying to have a normal conversation with her. He was returning her gaze steadily now and, although his eyes no longer looked like the lifeless orbs they had been just a week before, there was no passion in them any longer for Kushieda Minori. Of that, she was certain.

"Oh… don't tell her that," Ami told Ryuuji, "then the little jock will want one too."

"Hey, I never said..." Minori was about to argue with Ami but Ryuuji cut her off.

"No." he said simply.

"What?" both girls asked as Ryuuji resumed walking towards the school.

"Only Kawashima and Yasuko. Nobody else." There was no anger in Ryuuji's words. No bitterness or disgust either. There was no emotion at all. It was simply a statement.

Minori turned to glare at Ami but she could tell from the shocked expression on the taller girl that this had been totally unexpected. Ami turned to Minori and shook her head.

_What was this all of a sudden? Is this a setback?_ Ami thought Ryuuji had been getting better but this unemotional non-outburst was… confusing. She knew there might be missteps and setbacks along the way. She vowed to herself again that she would not give up easily. Taking a few deep breaths, she followed Ryuuji toward the school and started up an innocuous conversation with Minori about her plans over the summer break.

* * *

Kitamura and Minori had left the classroom before Ami finished moving her desk over to Ryuuji. As had been agreed, everyone continued to avoid them during the lunch break. Amy had a silent laugh at that last thought. Sure, no-one was sitting with them, but they were a far sight from _avoided_. Everyone that stayed in the room was watching them and she knew what the topic of conversation was every time someone suddenly dropped to a whisper. Ami knew that their every action was observed, their every word was overheard. Regardless, she needed to get to the bottom of whatever Ryuuji felt this morning when he preemptively refused Minori.

"Hey," Ryuuji opened up the conversation while Ami was still trying the best way to approach the subject, "so, what was the deal with you and Minori this morning?"

"Huh?" Ami was stunned. She had considered using exactly the same line but decided it was too tactless.

"I thought you two weren't getting along but you spent the whole walk to school chatting with her." Ryuuji explained as he opened their lunch boxes.

"No no, we're fine!" Ami smiled, "And it was just meaningless chatter anyway. Honestly, I don't even remember what we talked about."

"You talked about summer vacation plans." Ryuuji quietly summarized, "You will be out of town for the modeling job and she will be going to a softball tournament. She also said she wanted to go to the festival and see fireworks with her friends since it is the last summer of high school."

"Oh yeah…" Ami put a rather large bite of food in Ryuuji's mouth so he would have a reason to wait a bit before answering her next question, "about that; do you want to go see the fireworks with Minori-chan… and some friends?" The sounds of other conversations dropped off to almost nothing when Ami asked that question.

Not waiting to finish the food in his mouth, Ryuuji simply shook his head to decline. Ami could swear she heard at least one gasp from the classmates straining to hear everything.

"Why?" Ami asked, "Did you have a falling out with Minori-chan?"

"No," Ryuuji then looked skeptical, "I don't think so."

"Then why not see the fireworks with her?" Ami asked.

"She wants to go with her friends." Ryuuji explained, "I figured she would go with her softball team."

"Baka!" Ami laughed since it turned out it was only Ryuuji being Ryuuji after all, "she will be spending her whole break with those clowns at the tournament. I think she'll want to get together with her other friends for the festival."

"But..." Ryuuji didn't follow Ami's logic but he wasn't given time to try either.

"I'll check the schedule and see if we'll be back in time for the festival." Ami gave him another bite as he opened his mouth to say something, "If we can, I think it would be wonderful to get together too."

"Wait..." Ryuuji waved off another bite aimed at his mouth, "What do you mean about _we_ getting back in time?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Ami said innocently, "You and Onee-chan are coming with me on this shoot."

"What?" Ryuuji sputtered, "Why?"

"You're kidding, right?" Ami dismissed his questions as she countered with, "Whatever would I do without my chef, my nutritionist, my trainer, my stylist, my personal assistant, my bodyguard, my chaperone, and my masseuse? Without all those people helping me, my glorious return to the world of modeling would be a complete disaster."

"All those people..." Ryuuji winced, "is me and my mom."

"Yes," Ami smiled, "I do believe you're right."

* * *

Hisamitsu Noto was sitting next to Kihara Maya, who was sitting next to Kashii Nanako. Maya had finally understood that Kitamura would be leaving soon and there was truly no chance with him. There really never had been, since he had been in love with Sumire since his first year in High School. At first she had been furious with Noto since it seemed that he had always been getting in the way, but Nanako had calmed her down and helped her think it through.

Kitamura was still in love with the one person he had been in love with for over a year. Soon, he would be crossing an ocean and a continent to chase her down and everyone here believed he would. No, Maya never had a chance with Kitamura to begin with. In the end, Noto had been trying to get that across to her so she wouldn't be hurt, but she didn't want to listen. And she got hurt.

Maya had said some very mean things to Noto. She said things to him that he didn't deserve. She accused him of things he didn't do.

This was followed with crying, screaming, and bawling. Maya agonized over the things she had said.

Nanako listened. She forgave her friend and helped Maya to find the courage to apologize to Noto, so he could forgive her too.

All Noto had to do was keep quiet and listen to Maya's apology and accept it. Kitamura, Nanako, and even Haruta all told him to just stay calm and hear her out. Of course he blew it. Fortunately, it worked out. The conversation went something like this.

_"_ _Hisamitsu-san_ _," Maya_ _said formally. She_ _was so nervous she was visibly shaking. She knew she had been terribly wrong and wanted desperately for Noto to hear her out and accept her apology._

_"I love you." Noto said clearly as he watched the struggling girl. As he realized what he had just said, he started to slip into a daze._

_"What?" Maya's head snapped up. Had she heard right? Was this some kind of cruel joke?_

_"I'm sorry," Noto told the stricken girl, "I meant to say your name, but I've been thinking about it so much, it just slipped out."_

_"Baka!" Maya balled up her fists and started hitting Noto's chest. Through sobs she yelled at him, "You're not supposed to say that! You're supposed to hear my apology and forgive me but hate me for being stupid! Then I can stop feeling guilty and never talk to you again."_

_"No," Noto grabbed her_ _flailing_ _wrists, “_ _I don’t want that!”_ _Her pommeling of his chest didn't hurt much, but he was worried that she might hurt herself if she kept that up, "_ _M_ _y way is better."_

_"Your… your way?" she looked up at him through a river of tears._

_"I love you," he said again, and pulled her in to hug her while she cried herself out._

That had all been several weeks ago and now the three of them were together with Haruta to talk to Kitamura and Minori as they came back from their special lunch spot.

"What's going on guys?" Kitamura asked the four classmates as they met in the stairwell.

"We have a message from Ami," Noto said with a smile.

"Good news, I hope?" Kitamura asked.

"For the most part." Maya looked down but took Noto's hand.

"It looks like Ryuuji will be willing to come out to the festival at the end of the summer break and watch the fireworks with friends." Haruta said cheerily and gave a thumbs up.

"Oh no!" Minori gasped.

"What?" Haruta still had his thumb up and was confused, "I thought this was good news?"

"It is good news," Kitamura smiled, "I will be gone by the first day of summer break, so I won't be able to be there. But this is absolutely good news!"

"But you of all people..." Maya started to say.

"Don't worry." Kitamura said reassuringly, "I will write a letter that one of you should read before the fireworks start. I will be happy knowing that my good friend is getting better and that he is with you guys. Will one of you do that for me?"

"Of course," Haruta proclaimed, "I will read the letter."

"Baka," Noto countered, "I'll read the letter!"

"I said it first!" Haruta thrust a finger in Noto's face.

"The letter will have big words in it." Kitamura mentioned.

"You read the letter." Haruta said to Noto as he pulled back his hand and examined his fingers.

* * *

"Are we going to the beach?" Yasuko enthusiastically asked after Ryuuji told her that Ami was planning to take them along on the summer modeling tour.

"Is that really your only concern?" Ryuuji covered his face with a hand. Of course his mother would react like that. The fact that it would be a working vacation didn't phase her. On second thought, maybe it did. He couldn't remember the last time Yasuko was able to take a vacation of any kind. She had always had to work one or two jobs to keep the bills paid. Even a working vacation would be better than nothing.

"No beach," Ami said sadly, "sorry Onee-chan."

"But, it's summer time." Yasuko was confused and a bit disappointed, "Isn't that the right time for beach pictures?"

"For tourists, yes," Ami explained, "but for the advertising world, the swimsuit pictures were taken last winter or early spring at the latest."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." Yasuko admitted.

"Where are we going then?" Ryuuji was curious too.

"The agency has some studios in Tokyo," Ami looked at the pamphlet in her hand, "and there will be some on-site shots in the mountains."

"That sounds like fun!" Yasuko was sounding excited again.

"Hey hey hey!" Ryuuji cautioned his mother, "remember that this is a working vacation and the number one goal is to restart Ami-chan's modeling career. Don't get too excited. There might not be any time for fun things even if we are in fun places." Ami blushed at hearing Ryuuji call her Ami-chan. Although Yasuko had been calling her that for a while, Ryuuji had only ever called her Kawashima until now.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm for my career," Ami was still blushing a little, "but there will be some fun in this trip. There is some sightseeing and shopping in the Tokyo trip..."

"Shopping!" Yasuko's voice was an octave higher as her excitement boiled over.

"And we will be visiting a hot springs on the mountain trip." Ami finished.

"Oh Ami-chan!" Yasuko threw her arms around the laughing teen and praised her, "You are just too wonderful to your Onee-chan!"

"That reminds me," Ami bit her lower lip and looked over at Ryuuji with Yasuko still draped around her shoulders, "we are all going to be on display on this trip so we have to dress nice and act nice. And..."

"What?" Yasuko asked.

"You will need to call me Ami or Ami-chan," she blurted out to Ryuuji, "and I will need to call you Ryuuji, Ryuuji-kun, or Ryu-chan."

"Only Yasuko calls me Ryu-chan," Ryuuji thought about it, "Ryuuji is fine."

"All right," Ami tried to hide the relief that she felt as she told him, "then you should call me Ami."

"Awww..." Yasuko sounded disappointed, "Does that mean you are going to call me..."

"Oh no!" Ami laughed as she interrupted Yasuko. She turned and hugged the busty blond and told her, "You get to keep on being my Onee-chan for as long as you like!"

Sitting across from those two, Ryuuji smiled as he watched them. What weird twist of fate got those two to become close? Whatever it was, it was a good thing. He couldn't recall seeing his mother that happy… at least not in a long time. If his mother had seen Ami the way she used to be, this could never have happened. He knew that Yasuko hated fake people because she didn't understand them and they usually ended up being mean to her. He had thought about warning Ami but she had been nothing but genuine around his mother so there hadn't been the need.

"That's it, you're in for it now!" Yasuko's voice sounded both frivolous and ominous.

"No no no," Ami squeeled, "Aiiieeeeeeeeeee!"

Closing his eyes he heard the laughter and giggles and threats and plea's as these two women in his life tickled each other to fits of gasping and glee. _These two women in his life_. He smiled and wondered how long this would last. Sure, Ami was having fun with the reboot of her modeling career, but when that got off the ground, then what? If she picked up where she left off, she would be able to get a real entourage and she would be off to jobs at any time and anywhere. He wondered if she would at least finish out the school year or if the offer was good enough, how soon would she go? Could they still be friends after she went back to being a celebrity? Would she ever visit her mundane friends?

He put aside all those depressing questions and made a vow. He would enjoy the time they had left and would support her and wish her well on whatever path she took in life. After all, when it comes to friendship, wasn't that the best thing you could ever hope for?

 


	6. The Return of Koigakubo Yuri

**And I won't become your shining sun, the way Minori-chan is.**

* * *

The weeks remaining before summer vacation did not pass idly, but they did seem to pass quickly. Ami knew it was a good omen when even Ryuuji had made that observation. She knew it meant that he was being kept active mentally, emotionally, and physically. The emotional part was the hardest to gauge. There were few visible indicators to let her know when he was in despair, but he did seem to be doing better in his interactions with Ami and Yasuko. Physically, he was quickly rebuilding himself like a runner, but also seemed to enjoy the heavy punching bag she had installed in the exercise room. Already, his physique had gone from the sickly skeletal look to one of toned athletic health. The mental part was the fastest to recover. It didn't take him long to regain his prominence as one of the top ten percent in the academic standings. With the urging of both Ami and Yasuko, he had gone farther than he had been the previous year and now scored in the same echelon as Kitamura.

That was actually difficult for him. In fairness, it was difficult for many people. After the test scores were published, there would be Ryuuji's name on the board – ever so close to Kitamura's name. And yet, the two of them maintained their distance from each other. Everyone maintained their distance from Ryuuji to some degree, mostly because of what Kushieda told them after her discussion with Ami. But it was especially difficult to see that distance between Ryuuji and Kitamura, knowing that they had long been the best of friends. As the weeks went on and their classmates could see improvement in Ryuuji's demeanor, many began to resent the restriction that only Ami could talk to Ryuuji. Such was the consensus in the room a few weeks before summer vacation.

Even their teacher seemed to be overly critical of the perceived relationship between Ryuuji and Ami. True, he was the kind of teacher that controlled his classroom through intimidation and insults, but recently he seemed to take particular pleasure in singling out Ami and Ryuuji for his special treatment. Although Ryuuji noticed nothing, or pretended to notice nothing, Ami could tell that things were about to boil over.

"Takasu Ryuuji." the teacher called out moments before the final bell of the day would be ringing.

"Yes sensei?" Ryuuji responded without looking up from the problem he was working on."

"You are to report to the counselors office immediately after class today." the teacher gave the message in a bored voice hinting at his own eagerness for the day to be over.

"Okay." Ryuuji and Ami both started packing up their bags.

"Just Takasu-san," the teacher noticed Ami's actions and growled, "I am aware of your desire to go everywhere and do everything with Takasu-san of late, Miss Kawashima. However, you are not allowed to be involved in this meeting."

"Really?" Ami had dealt with her fair share of obnoxious adults in her modeling experiences and this man was just another of the run-of-the-mill jerks that thought he had more power or authority than he really did. "Then, let me ask you something."

"What?" the teacher snipped as the bell rang. In the hallway, they could hear other students from other classrooms already racing out of their rooms but in this classroom only Kitamura left while everyone else slowly got their bags in order and listened to the showdown.

"Just a moment sensei," turning to Takasu who was now standing beside her with his bag packed but not moving toward the door, she told him, "Go on ahead Ryuuji, I will be along." Ryuuji gave the slightest smile at Ami and headed out the door.

"How dare you!" the teacher fumed, "Your insolence will not be tolerated..."

"One more word and I will have your job." Ami said in a calm voice as she held up a document in front of her. The teacher could not see the document well enough to read it from that distance but he could easily see that it bore two official seals and several signatures.

"Wha..." the teacher was more frightened of the student in front of him that not only seemed unphased at his anger but was calmly and confidently threatening him.

"Everything that I am doing as regards Takasu Ryuuji is well known and has already been approved by the Student Council, the counselors' office, the Principal's office, his mother, and his grandparents. In my hands is a document conferring to me the equivalent legal rights of a parent or guardian to act on his behalf."

"You can't..." the teachers face was red with fury and shame, "you just can't..."

"I have put up with your string of failures and inadequacies as a teacher until now." Ami lowered her arm with the official document as she told him, "But, now that your idiocy has gotten to the point that it may interfere with Ryuuji's rehabilitation. I cannot let this pass."

"Idiocy!" he screeched.

"You have failed your students by your own actions." Ami drove the nails in, "You obviously did not ask anyone about the situation here before drawing assumptions and acting foolishly on them."

"I..." the teacher's fists were balled up in rage. How dare this teenage girl talk to him like this!

"You have shown poor judgment and an inability to control yourself in front of your students. You have, in fact, lost the confidence of the students and all control of this classroom."

"I most certainly have not!" the enraged teacher roared.

For almost a full minute the room seemed deadly quiet. Ami and the teacher's eyes were locked on one another as the tension in the room was quickly rising. Finally, one person decided that enough was enough.

"Hisamitsu Noto, Class 3-C." Noto said as he stood next to his desk, "I have no confidence in you, sensei." Noto turned around to show his back to the aghast teacher. There were several gasps around the room as other students began to understand what Noto had just done.

"Kihara Maya, Class 3-C." Maya stood and with a determined look, gave the same words as Noto, "I have no confidence in you, sensei." She also turned her back on the fuming teacher.

"Haruta Koji, Class 3-C." Haruta smiled as he said, "Dude, you suck!" Haruta turned around to see all the rest of the class standing and turning their backs on the humiliated teacher.

"You bitch!" the teacher was about to clear the desk and start pounding some manners into that insufferably smug teenager when Kitamura's voice from the open door to the hallway caught his attention.

"Let's all take a deep breath before something truly unforgivable happens." Kitamura smiled.

"Ah!" the teacher jumped as he turned and saw not only Kitamura, but a very frightened looking Koigakubo Yuri as well. The student council president and a member of the faculty had just seen what was going on in this room. This was no longer something he could easily explain away. _Damn that girl!_

"This paperwork needs your signature, sensei." Kitamura walked into the room pulling a very worried Yuri behind him. As he drew up to the desk, he handed a few stapled pages of paperwork over to the teacher.

"What is this?" the teacher got out his pen and started to take the papers, but kept his eyes on Kitamura.

"This paperwork respectfully requests that you and Koigakubo-sensei swap classes..."

"What!" the teacher recoiled.

"...in the best interest of the continuing mental and emotional rehabilitation of one of the top performing students in the school." Kitamura finished.

"There is no way in hell that I would consent to this." the teacher sneered.

"Well then," Kitamura's smile never faded, "I suppose we could all meet with a joint session of the student council and the faculty administration and listen to you explain what happened here today."

"Is that a threat?" the teacher dismissed Kitamura's words, "It's still just my word against theirs."

"No sensei," Kushieda spoke as she held up the device in her hand, "it's your word against the recording on my cell phone."

The teacher turned from his staring contest with Kitamura to see that not only did Kushieda have her cell phone out, but more than half the class as well seemed to be aiming those unpleasant little devices at him. He was boxed in and he knew it.

"Fine," he growled as he snatched the paperwork from Kitamura and signed on all the blank lines. Thrusting the paperwork back at Kitamura, he turned to the cowering Koigakubo and said, "You are a pathetic failure of a teacher and this is a pathetic class of miscreants." As he stormed out of the room he yelled at them, "You deserve each other!"

It seemed that an eternity passed in the seconds of silence that went by after the disgruntled teacher had stormed out. Most of the students were stunned over what had happened right at the end. Koigakubo Yuri herself was wondering if this was real. She had really enjoyed this class the last year and they had put up with her single-turning-thirty-breakdown better than even her friends had. Was this a dream? If she said something, would that break the spell? They were all thinking the same thing but it was Haruta that would start the celebration.

"SWEET!" Haruta shouted and broke everyones trance, "We got Yuri-sensei back!" There was a collective intake of breath and it seemed that everyone started cheering.

"Sensei," Kitamura pulled the stunned teacher out from behind him and told her, "I am about to do something that will scare you at first, but it is all for the best."  
"Eh?" her eyes opened wide at his declaration.

"But first there is something that you absolutely must know, and there is not a person in this room that doesn't feel exactly the same way that I do."

"Yes?" Yuri started trembling. So much was happening so fast. Please let there be no more surprises today!

"You are not a pathetic failure of a teacher." Kitamura said with his signature confident smile.

"Th...thank you," Yuri blushed, "but that wasn't so scary."

"Oh," Kitamura turned Yuri around to face the class as he whispered into her ear, "the scary part is when I throw you to the wolves."

"Eh?" Yuri had a moment of panic from those words before she heard Kitamura's announcement to the class.

"Hey everybody," he called out, "come show your affection for our new teacher! He gave Yuri a push towards the center of the room as an avalanche of teenagers descended upon the stunned teacher.

The classroom was chanting "Yu-Ri Yu-Ri Yu-Ri..." as the boys were tossing their returning teacher into the air and catching her. Her squeals, as well as the students chanting, could be heard down the hall as Ami, Minori, and Yusaku left the classroom and made their way toward the administration offices.

"Nice trick Yusaku," Ami laughed, "I was just trying to get the jerk under my thumb but you got rid of him completely."

"Thanks." Kitamura responded as he checked the documents to make sure everything was in order before turning them in.

"Are you really a legal guardian for Takasu-kun?" Minori had to ask.

"No," Ami admitted with a very pleased smile, "although I could probably get that set up just by asking for it. The document that he didn't bother to look at was my modeling contract for the summer break."

"So," Minori sounded a little worried, "you were bluffing."

"Yeah," Ami admitted, "about that part. But I really do have all those approvals that I was talking about.

"Even his mom and his grandparents?" Minori asked.

"Yep," Ami remembered the phone conversation with the elder Takasu's. After Yasuko had told them everything Ami was doing for Ryuuji and how much he had recovered, they had given Ami their complete confidence. "They all think that I'm working miracles."

"You are working miracles." Kitamura said.

"Still," Kushieda worried, "that was pretty risky..."

"Hey," Ami laughed it off, "I'm aiming to be an actress, remember?"

"Well you've got the confidence down," Kitamura said, "but it was memorizing the lines that you always had trouble with, wasn't it?"

"Errrrgh," Ami groaned, "don't remind me."

"Amin, there is something else I need to ask you." Minori stopped walking. The other two stopped and turned to her.

"Now that he seems to be getting better, everyone thinks I am keeping him to myself unnecessarily, right?" Ami cocked her head and looked at the pink headed jock.

"Well… yeah!" Minori's response indicated that she was a bit upset with the current conditions too.

"I know he has made remarkable progress, and I really do want to get him back with his friends, but..." Ami looked fearful of what she was going to have to admit.

"You're afraid he could slide back into depression if he gets reminded too much of Taiga." Kitamura said for her.

"Yes," she admitted, "but I know I have to take some risks or he'll be treated with kid gloves for the rest of his life."

"What do you want to do?" Kitamura asked Ami.

"Minori-chan," Ami turned to the red head, "can you tell Haruta-kun and Noto-kun that it is okay for them to join us for lunch now… if they want to. Also… Maya and Nanako too."

"Yes, but..." Minori looked saddened, "not Kitamura or me?"

"Not yet," Ami reminded Minori, "Ryuuji has agreed to come to the end-of-summer festival and watch the fireworks with you and some friends. I think it will be okay by then."

"Ah!" Minori's excitement died as she remembered the timing and asked, "What about Kitamura?"

"It's okay Kushieda," Kitamura closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I knew when I hit him with the desk… and said those things… that I had gone too far."

"No..." Minori's haunted expression looked wrong on the face that was always so exuberant.

"He will forgive me in time." Kitamura said confidently, "but it will take more time than we have left of this school year… and certainly more time than I have before I leave."

"Minori-chan," Ami said apologetically, "I am not an expert at this. I know I've had some successes, but in all honesty, I don't know what I'm doing." She sighed and went on, "I've read a few things and I got some advice from our counselors here, but for the most part I'm just doing what I saw Ryuuji do last year."

"What?" Minori gasped.

"The way he dealt with Taiga." Ami explained, "He was patient with her. He listened to her. He gave her some focus and direction, but not too much. He let her confront her demons, but he was always by her side."

"It wasn't just Taiga," Minori replied, "he was that way with everyone. He was pretty awesome that way."

"Yeah," Ami wanted to smack the silly jock but instead said, "so instead of wasting all that awesomeness on the one person that he was madly in love with, he spent it on Taiga and ended up turning her into a better person."

Minori felt Ami’s comment go through her like a spear. She looked back at Ami sharply, but saw that she wasn’t gloating.

"You saw how that worked out for him though." Kitamura reminded Ami, "after all your hard work he might disappear to go find himself too."

"Even if he does," Ami said nonchalantly, "I know he'll eventually be back."

"How can you be so sure?" Kitamura asked.

"Easy," Ami winked, "I've got his mom."

.

* * *

"So…" Ami smiled as she walked next to Ryuuji on the way home, "How did it go?"

"Different than all the previous sessions," Ryuuji said as he continued to focus on looking up something on his phone.

"Hey," Ami took his arm and gave a little tug, "I'm over here. Stop looking at your phone."

"Look, you're the one that insisted that I need a smart phone," he responded without looking up, "so don't be upset if I use it."

"There is a time and a place." Ami made a grab for the phone he was still paying attention to but he easily moved it out of her reach, "and while you are having a conversation with me is definitely not the right time."

"Fine," Ryuuji switched off the screen and put the phone in his pocket, "I just wanted to see what they were up to."

"Who?" Ami asked.

"The counselors." Ryuuji seemed deep in thought, "they completely changed tactics on me."

"What do you mean?" Ami was still holding onto Ryuuji's arm as they turned the last corner toward the Kawashima house.

"Instead of asking me what my plans are and giving me the usual routine about my future, they gave me brochures on three universities and told me to pick one before the summer break."

"Oh… well," Ami tried to sound noncommittal, "maybe they are just trying to make the selection process easier for you since you had been having problems picking one out on your own."

"I wasn't having any problems," Ryuuji paused as they stepped through the front door and took off their shoes in the foyer, "I told them that I am not interested in going to college since my family can't afford it."

"We're home!" Ami called out as they stepped up from the foyer.

"Yay!" an excited voice called out to greet them from the living room. As the two walked into the living room they could see over a dozen stacks of sorted and folded laundry around the room. Yasuko was working on what appeared to be the final basket of clean clothes needing to be sorted and folded.

"Onee-chan," Ami turned to Yasuko, "what would you say if I told you that Ryuuji has been offered full scholarships to universities in Tsukuba, Osaka, and Tokyo, but he wants to turn them down because he doesn't think he can afford it?"

"Ryu-chan," his mother gasped, "full scholarships? That's so wonderful!" Yasuko threw her arms around her son and looked him in the eyes as Ami turned to head for her room to change, "I told you not to worry about the money. With a full scholarship and your grandparents willing to help out now, we can do this. We can!"

"I believe you," Ryuuji told his mother with a smile, then said, "but what I want to know is how Ami knew the offers were in Tsukuba, Osaka, and Tokyo? And how did she know that they were full scholarships?"

"Damn." Ami's eyes opened wide and she stopped walking as she realized she was busted. She got her composure back quickly though and turned to face her accuser, "I keep forgetting that you're smarter than you look."

"Thanks..." Ryuuji cocked an eyebrow at her, "I think."

"Look, I'm not going to apologize for this." she told him, "You already know what kind of person I am. It should be no surprise to you that I will use every trick I can think of, fair or unfair, to get you to do the right thing."

"What if your idea of the right thing and my idea of the right thing don't match?" he asked Ami.

"Then we both explain our case to Onee-chan and she gets to cast the deciding vote," Ami smiled, "Majority rules."

"You already know how she is going to vote on this." Ryuuji smirked. Yasuko giggled.

"Yes," Ami smiled broadly now, "yes I do."

"I'm so screwed." Ryuuji said aloud.

"Yes sweetie," Yasuko kissed him on the cheek and said, "but this time - in a good way."

 


	7. The Green Car

**I, Kawashima Ami, will walk the same path as you.**

* * *

Ryuuji was glad that Yasuko and Ami had relented and let him arrange the transportation to Tokyo. The idiot from the agency had arranged for them to take the trains during the most congested part of the day and they would be arriving so late they would have to go straight to the photo shoot still carrying all their luggage. After only an hour on the travel sites, Ryuuji had reworked the tickets so that they left the day before, when the number of commuters was so low they would almost have the car to themselves. As a bonus, the hotel upgraded their room and threw in passes to their in-house spa since they would be staying longer.

Ami was skeptical about all of Ryuuji's changes. Her skepticism didn't get any better when he showed her that they would actually be saving money since they would be traveling during off-peak times. But that was yesterday; today they were at the train station and Ryuuji's reservations seemed to be valid. At least they were at the main entrance.

"Excuse me," the attendant said as he looked at the tickets that Ryuuji had passed to him, "these tickets are not valid at this gate." The attendant calmly pushed a call button.

"But..." Ami started to protest.

"It's okay," Ryuuji put his hand on Ami's shoulder and turned to the attendant, "can you tell us which is the correct gate for these tickets?"

"We can help you with that!" another attendant in a stewardess uniform called out to them in a cheerful voice. There were four men in steward uniforms that were already moving forward to take all their luggage. While they were collecting the luggage, the stewardess took their tickets, reviewed them, and smiled in confirmation.

"Ryuuji," Ami whispered, "those are Green Car uniforms."

"Are they?" Ryuuji smiled conspiratorially.

"What are you up to?" Ami's expression was between cross and curious.

"You are a minor celebrity now," Ryuuji explained, "and soon you will be a big celebrity." Ryuuji didn't keep his voice low and, as expected, he saw the stewardess take another look at the tickets as she went over the names once again.

"So?" Ami was just a little put off at him calling her a minor celebrity but she would let that pass until she found out what he was up to.

"So you should start getting used to this." Ryuuji waved about him as they boarded the luxurious green car.

"Get used to what?" Ami asked.

"Taking the Green Car, staying in the nicer hotels, riding in limos instead of taxis..." Ryuuji told the aspiring model, "not too long from now, after you are done with Yasuko and me, when you become a star, this will all be commonplace to you. So you'd better start getting used to it now."

Ami was upset and trying to figure out how to respond to Ryuuji's line about being done with them. How could he say something like that? Did he really feel like she was just using them? Maybe he did… and she knew why. That was exactly how she had set all of this up back when Ryuuji's depression was in free fall. Since Ryuuji didn't have a reason to live for himself, she gave him a reason to live: to help out a friend. Both Ryuuji and his mother were helping her to get her modeling career back on track and eventually open her world to acting. With a saddened heart, Ami realized that Ryuuji wasn't becoming closer to her as a friend and companion… he was becoming her employee.

"Miss Kawashima," the stewardess bowed, "it will be a pleasure to have you in my car today!"

"You know who I am?" Ami's game face was on despite the feeling of loss from Ryuuji's words.

"Yes!" she answered, "Mostly due to my sister. She is a huge fan of yours. She will be so excited when I tell her that I had you and your manager on my train."

"Huh?" both Ami and Ryuuji gasped. Before anyone could respond, Yasuko's cheerful voice filled the cabin.

"What a beautiful train car!" she squealed as she looked around the empty place, "Are we the only ones in this car today?"

"This train will make many trips today," the stewardess explained, "but for this run to Tokyo, we are expecting only two other passengers."

"Can we sit here?" Yasuko found a set of two seats facing another set of two with a table between them.

"The Green Car seats are reserved," the stewardess explained, "but the only other passengers we are expecting are sitting elsewhere in the car so you may take these seats if you wish."

"Onee-chan!" Ami huffed as Yasuko took the forward facing seat next to the window. Yasuko only giggled and looked every bit the excited teenage sister that her Onee-chan nickname conjured. Ami sat down in the rear facing window seat and pulled out her portfolio as she called out to the stewardess.

"What is your sister's name?" Ami asked as she pulled one of her publicity stills out of her portfolio and retrieved a felt pen from her purse.

"Oh!" The stewardess was surprised and began to apologize, "Really there's no need… I didn't mean to bother you!"

"It's no bother, and I insist." Ami smiled at the flustered stewardess, "I've been out of the business for a while and am just getting back into it on this trip. I need to be nice to all the fans I've got!"

"Oh well… if you insist that it isn't a bother." the stewardess bowed, "Thank you very much! My sister's name is Minami Suzume."

"And your name?" Ami asked after she finished with the first autograph.

"Eh?" the stewardess looked up to object but she saw the determination in Ami's face and knew she would not win that argument, "You are too kind. My name is Minami Umeko."

After the stewardess left to receive the next passenger, Ryuuji looked at Ami and Yasuko in the window seats. For a moment, Ryuuji wondered which seat he should take. Should he sit next to his mother or Ami? His thoughts were interrupted when he overheard a familiar voice.

"No, there's been a cancellation. I'll be traveling alone… again." Ryuuji couldn't see her face clearly from the way she hung her head. Then he noticed her slumped shoulders and the way she was standing… she looked completely defeated.

"Ami," he whispered, "stand up and tell me if the passenger getting on now is who I think it is."

"Who do you think..." Ami was asking as she stood but the surprised look on her face told Ryuuji that she was thinking the same thing. "It's sensei, and she looks terrible."

"I… I can't do this." Yuri's voice sounded as if she were on the verge of tears, "Let me have my bags back. I just want to go home."

"Ryuuji," Ami said even as he was taking his first step toward the car's entrance, "go get her."

Even as the stewardess was reaching for the bags, the doors closed and the chime sounded that indicated that the train was soon to be in motion. Yuri was facing the stewardess and did not see Ryuuji bounding up behind her. All she knew was that this was one more thing in her life that went wrong. She shouldn't have come alone on this trip, and now she couldn't leave. Yet another thing to go wrong in the chain of disasters that was her love life. Now, to add to her despair and embarrassment, the uncontrollable tears would come and she would cry in front of strangers. With shocking speed, a strong hand closed over her shoulder and spun her around to collide into a masculine chest. Whoever this man was, he was too tall and too muscular to be the guy that had canceled on her. There was a moment of fright as she wondered who had grabbed her, but the fright turned to shock when she heard his voice.

"Minami-san," Ryuuji's confident voice said, "Miss Koigakubo will be traveling with the Kawashima party today."

"Yes, Mr. Manager!" Umeko replied. She was relieved that the distraught woman was being taken care of. She wanted to ask what connection they had with this passenger, but Mr. Manager was a pretty scary looking man and she didn't want any trouble.

"Takasa-kun?" Yuri looked up from his chest, "You don't have to do this."

"Of course I do," Ryuuji smiled as he pulled her along to where their group was sitting. He gestured to Ami and said, "My mistress commands it."

"Kawashima-chan," Yuri smiled and said, "I don't want to ruin your trip. I'll just find my assigned seat and..."

"Sensei," Ami pointed at the seat next to Yasuko, "if you don't sit in that seat in the next three seconds, Onee-chan will tickle you mercilessly until you hit the floor."

"What?" Yuri looked over at the busty blond and tried to apologize herself away from their group again, "No really, I'll be fine. I just need to find my seat and..."

"Time's up." Ami snapped her fingers and Yasuko leaped at the brunette.

"AIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!" Yuri shrieked as Yasuko's fingers found her ribs and wriggled their way right up into her arm pits. Her legs gave out almost instantly and she was soon on the floor trying to defend herself from the demonic ten-fingered tickling onslaught that was Yasuko.

Ryuuji watched with concern at first but when Yuri's cries quickly went from alarm to squeals of laughter, he smiled and watched his mom menace his teacher into a better mood. Yasuko noticed too and stopped tickling the gasping woman. She didn't let her go though. Yasuko was sitting on top of Yuri and had her wrists pinned to the floor while she let the brunette catch her breath.

"I..." Yuri panted as she gazed up into the large breasts hovering over her face, "I didn't know Kawashima-chan had a sister?"

"Oh!" Yasuko let go of the wrists and pulled Yuri up into a hug, "You're so sweet!"

Yuri's arms were flapping to either side while her face was hugged deep into the cleavage of Yasuko's bosom. Yuri had a very real worry of suffocating here. But there was nothing to fear. In moments, Yasuko got up, helped Yuri up, and then pulled the both of them down into the adjoining seats facing forward.

"Try to run off and she'll take you down again." Ami warned her teacher.

"Now listen here young lady," Yuri tried to sound as adult as possible as she lectured her blond assailant, "I am a high school teacher and you can't just..."

"She's so cuuuuute!" Yasuko cried out as she pulled Yuri into another breath defying hug. Once again, Yuri found herself smothered in the blonds impressive cleavage. When she finally was allowed to come up for air, she heard Ryuuji's voice.

"I didn't realize that the two of you had never met." Ryuuji apologized, "Koigakubo Yuri is my homeroom teacher and I would like to introduce you to Takasu Yasuko… my mother."

"Takasu-kun!" Yuri snapped at him, "It is unlike you to pull pranks and deceptions like this. There is no way that I could believe that this young woman could be your..." she stopped as she saw Ryuuji's apologetic but honest expression and Ami nodding her head to affirm what Ryuuji had just said.

"Eh!" Yuri was stunned. Then she bowed to the parent of one of her students, "Please forgive me! I couldn't believe that you were a parent of one of my students because you look so beautiful… I mean young!"

"You look pretty young too!" Yasuko's response made Yuri's head snap up. "I'm surprised my little Ryu-chan hasn't had a crush for teacher, if his teacher looks like you."

"Takasu-san!" Yuri blushed.

"Who says I didn't?" Ryuuji smiled.

"Takasu-kun!" Yuri's blush deepened.

"Seriously," Ryuuji told his mother candidly, "I know that half the guys in the class fantasized about her at one time or another last year."

"Eeeep!" Yuri's blush was becoming a health concern and she was no longer able to call out a name when expressing her embarrassment.

"Several of the girls too." Ami chimed in.

"Unh..." the poor abused teacher mercifully passed out.

"Why was she so upset?" Yasuko asked as she reached over and pushed the buttons to make the unconscious teacher's chair recline.

"She is tragically unlucky in love." Ami offered.

"Yeah," Ryuuji added, "when she hit thirty last fall, she almost lost it."

"Oh the poor thing." Yasuko brushed a bit of the brunettes hair out of her face and, turning back to Ami asked, "What are we going to do with her?"

"Ask Ryuuji," Ami deflected, "he made the travel plans."

"Eh?" Ryuuji looked at the two looking back at him. He wanted to put this back on Ami by reminding her that it was her command to fetch the despairing teacher. He realized that probably wouldn't work though. Then again, he didn't need to come up with a plan. "We don't need to do anything with her."

"Huh?" both of them were surprised at Ryuuji's answer.

"That's pretty cold, Ryu-chan." Yasuko said with disappointment and hurt.

"No," Ryuuji explained, "what I mean is: we only need to make sure she gets to Tokyo. She has already made her own travel arrangements, right? After we get to Tokyo, she will be off to whatever destination she has arranged for herself."

"Oh yeah." Ami realized Ryuuji was probably right.

"Awww," Yasuko still sounded disappointed, "I was hoping she could be my room mate. I didn't want to be alone."

"You won't be alone." Ryuuji told his mother, "I'm your room mate."

"What?" Ami chided, "So I have to be alone?"

"Huh?" Ryuuji hadn't anticipated this, "I thought you would want to have your own room."

"Why did you think that?" she folded her arms.

"Well, you have your own room at home." Ryuuji couldn't think of any other reasons. Unfortunately, he hadn't put a lot of thought into this or he would have asked them their preferences before making the reservations. No… that wasn't right either. The reservations were fine, just the arrangements needed to be changed.

“That’s just because I was living alone… and it’s home!” Ami fidgeted, “When I’m traveling, I like to have someone I know with me.”

"Fine," Ryuuji told both of them, "the two of you will share one room and I'll take the other. It's probably best that way anyway."

"Why is that?" Ami's arms were still folded in front of her chest but she sounded less defensive now.

"That way, in case the media wants to say anything, Kawashima Ami will be in a room with her Onee-chan and her lackey…

"Manager!" Ami interrupted him.

"Whatever..." Ryuuji dismissed the outburst, "anyway… I will be in a different room."

"Well then," Yasuko thought about it, "I guess it's best that sensei isn't coming with us."

"Why is that?" Ami asked.

"The only arrangement that wouldn't put you two in the same room together would put her in a hotel room with one of her students."

All three of them knew that even a rumor like that could ruin her teaching career.

* * *

When Ryuuji stepped out of the bathroom, Umeko let him know that the train would be arriving in Tokyo in thirty minutes. As he walked back to the seats he noticed that sensei's chair was no longer reclined.

"Ah sensei, you're awake." Ryuuji commented as he took his seat.

"Yes," she looked nervous for some reason, "it was a very restful sleep."

"Oh yes," Ryuuji remembered Umeko's message, "We'll be arriving in Tokyo in thirty minutes."

"So," Yasuko took Yuri's hand and asked her, "what will you be doing in Tokyo?"

"I..." Yuri's eyes began to tear up and she looked down as she told them, "the guy that… canceled out on me. He was supposed to take care of… where we would be staying. My part was to buy the train tickets. So, I guess I'll try to refund my tickets and get the next train back."

"Oh no you don't!" Yasuko's resolve scared Yuri a bit, "You're coming with us! You came all the way to Tokyo and you're going to have a good time! Isn't she Ryu-chan!"

"But..." Ryuuji remembered the sleeping arrangement discussion and looked over at Ami. She would realize that this would mean they would have to share a room together and that would be the end of it. There was no way she would ever… Ryuuji's jaw dropped as he saw Ami nodding with a determined look on her face.

The brief hope that was in Yuri's eyes faded as she saw the reluctance in Takasu-kun's response.

"Ryu-chan?" his mother prompted him.

"Of course you are coming with us!" Ryuuji turned to his teacher, "I was only thinking about how we will fit you into the entourage."

"Eh?" Yuri and Yasuko gaped.

"For us, the goal of this trip is to restart Ami's modeling career and get the message out that she is interested in acting as well."

"Oh my!" Yuri was impressed with their mission.

"So, everything we do has to be with a thought toward how it would look if it were to come up in a picture or an interview."

"I have the role of physical trainer and a best friend that's so close I'm like a big sister!" Yasuko recounted as if she were reading from a script, "That's why I call her Ami-chan and she calls me onee-chan."

"I am Ami's chef and apparently her manager..."

"Boyfriend." Ami casually corrected.

"Whaaaat?" Ryuuji and Yuri reacted. Yasuko just giggled and clapped her hands.

"If we're going to be sleeping in the same room," Ami explained, "you're going to have to be my boyfriend or every manager I have in the future will think..." Ami blushed and looked away.

"Ah..." Ryuuji realized what she was getting at, and how bad that could be for her. "So, that's why you will hear us using first names with each other."

"But, what about..." Yuri was about to ask about Taiga but the sudden squeeze on her hand from Yasuko made her realize the faux pas, "… holding hands?"

"Huh?" Ryuuji and Ami balked.

"Um yes… holding hands..." Yuri thought quickly, "You may be able to get away without kissing in public by claiming that you are private in that respect." Yuri explained, "But no-one is going to believe you are boyfriend and girlfriend if you're not even holding hands."

"I guess it can't be helped," Ami said as she took Ryuuji's hand. The feel of her small hand slipping into his larger, stronger hand, made her heart beat a little stronger… and a little faster. She thought this would be nothing for her but the blush hit her face like a blast of wind from an open window.

"Yeah..." Ryuuji also blushed as he felt her soft, delicate hand nestled in his own.

"That's a good start," Yuri told them. Pretending that she couldn't see the blushing she added, "You'd better get used to doing that a lot. When you are a celebrity, you have to assume that there are photographers everywhere."

"You seem to know a lot about this celebrity stuff?" Yasuko commented.

"I… read a lot of fashion magazines." With that admission, Yuri blushed a little too.

"Then what role should you have?" "Yasuko asked.

"Easy," Yuri winked, "tutor."

"Huh?" Ryuuji and Ami recoiled at the idea of having their teacher along as a teacher.

"It makes sense." Yuri explained, "You are high school students on summer break and you will be busy running around with this modeling business so you won't have time to form a summer study group with your friends to get the summer homework done. Ergo, you need a tutor."

"Ugh, I guess that does make sense." Ami admitted sourly.

"Hey, I don't want to work through my summer vacation either." Yuri replied to their looks of obvious disappointment, "I was just trying to come up with a role that would be reporter proof."

"Reporter proof?" Yasuko asked.

"Yeah," Yuri explained, "if anyone looks into the backgrounds of Kawashima-chan's entourage, they will find out that I am more than qualified to be a tutor."

"Yeah, that's true." Ryuuji sounded disheartened after thinking about the logic of his sensei's rationalization. He realized that he had no experience for the lofty title he would be wearing, "Maybe I shouldn't be your manager." Ami was about to respond but Yuri spoke first.

"Don't be silly," she laughed, "you've got the easiest job in the world and you are a remarkably good fit for it."

"What do you mean?" both Ryuuji and Ami asked.

"Kawashima-chan, I assume you already have a talent agency that finds your jobs for you?" Yuri asked.

"Yes." Ami replied.

"And do they also look over the contracts?" Yuri asked.

"No," Ami said, "I have a family member that looks at all the legal stuff."

"Even better!" Yuri smiled and turned back to Ryuuji, "So all you have to do is make the travel and lodging arrangements and be a big scary guy in case someone tries to get your girlfriend to do something she doesn't want to do."

"Be a big scary guy huh," Ryuuji winced, "great."

All three of the girls were laughing as the train pulled into the station.


	8. Welcome to Le Dauphin

**It's just that I'll always be one step ahead.**

* * *

"Welcome to Le Dauphin," the cheerful staff greeted the four smiling guests as they approached the lobby. Everyone except Ryuuji lost their smiles in a moment of shock as they entered the large room that looked as if it had been a backdrop for a disaster movie.

"This is the Kawashima party," Ryuuji handed over the print-out that had their reservation information on it. Unbelievably, to the other three in his group, he acted as if there was nothing unusual at all about the calamitous looking room.

"Um… Ryuuji?" Ami tugged on his arm as she looked around at gaping holes in the walls and ceiling, wires dangling from light fixtures that weren't working, large clumps of things on the floor of the lobby covered by tarps, and the smell in the air of sheet rock dust and mildew.

"I know," Ryuuji whispered to her, "I'll explain when we get to the room."

"My name is Yamada Yukiko and I will be your hostess. If you will follow me?" a staff member in a yukata guided them past the bank of elevators to a hallway that seemed to lead to a service area. Although disappointed, no-one was surprised when they ended up at the foyer to a pair of freight elevators. Above the entry to each of the freight elevators was a sign that warned it was for authorized personnel only and that a passkey was required. Yuri and Ami were visibly concerned and nervous about what they were getting into, but Ryuuji seemed to expect this. His composed reaction did a lot to keep the rest of them calm. Yasuko looked like she was taking it all in stride. It didn't look like she knew about this in advance, it just didn't seem to bother her that much.

Yuri was already thinking of making her apologies and heading back home. She was also worried that she should say something to them to convince them to stay in a safer place as it looked like this place was crumbling apart from the inside. Ami too was feeling like she would have to tell Ryuuji that she appreciated him trying to help but from now on, she would be using the services provided by the agency.

When they got to their floor, they were all amazed at the difference. The service elevator opened on a kitchen area that was larger than the one in Ami's house. More importantly, everything looked very nice and recently updated. Gone were any signs of construction or... deconstruction. The lighting was working and the air, unlike the lobby experience, was at a pleasant temperature, dust free, and odor free. Well, not entirely odor free – there was the smell of green growing things in the air. The mind pictured mint and flowers from the delicate scent.

As they were led out of the kitchen, the four guests followed their guide into a living area that seemed to span the width of the building. Huge windows in both directions gave them stunning views of the Tokyo skyline. A curved staircase ran up to a glass domed area and they realized then that they were on the top floor.

"Is this the penthouse?" Ami asked. Ryuuji smiled at her voice that betrayed her feeling of being pleasantly surprised.

"Yes," their escort nodded and handed Ryuuji the folder with everything they would need. "My apologies that you will need to use the service elevator as the lobby elevators are not yet functional. I have included priority passkeys for all of you. These passkeys will summon the small freight elevator for your use. Shall I give you a tour of the penthouse facilities and what you should have access to?"

"Just the top access please," Ryuuji answered her, "I think we can figure everything out here."

"As you wish," she responded as she started moving toward the curved staircase, "with apologies, the limited mobility elevator is not yet working so all access will have to be with the stairs or the service elevator."

With the exercise regimen that Yasuko had been running with Ami and Ryuuji, the stairs were nothing to them. Yuri noticed that she was not as healthy as either of her two students or even Ryuuji's mom! This bothered her a bit and, not for the first time, she vowed that she would have to start taking better care of herself.

When they got to the top of the stairs, they were in something of a greenhouse with glass walls and roof all around a tiered rooftop flower garden. On the last tier was a doorway to a large soaking tub that opened on a small swimming pool. Several tables with chairs and patio umbrellas surrounded the pool.

"Oh Ryuuji… You can do my travel arrangements any time." Yuri said as she zombie walked down the steps of the tiered garden toward the pool and looked through the large doors at the welcoming hot tub. Yuri wanted to jump into the hot tub right here and now. She had been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. Another relationship that never even got started. Plans falling through. Getting rescued by her students didn't turn out to be so bad, but it had been embarrassing and stressful. Now this place turned out to be a dream come true – a dream that she hadn't even dreamed yet.

Everyone else could see the longing look that Yuri had for that hot water. Admittedly, they all felt it too.

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, they were back at the hot tub. Ryuuji was sent back up the stairs to change at the pool side while the girls changed in the living area and came up the stairs in their swim wear. Ami arrived in a slinky bikini and a smile. Her outfit was designed to get attention and she was showing it off first in this private pool. She was ready to defend her selection if anyone thought her little suit was too daring by pointing out that she was a model after all. Ami had pushed herself to the limit to select the most daring swim-wear she could muster the courage to try on, so she wasn't at all prepared for Yasuko showing up in a suit that made what Ami was wearing look positively matronly.

"Onee-chan..." Ami grumbled in mock despair as Yasuko slid into the hot water in her thong.

"What?" Yasuko looked at Ami innocently.

"You two are so beautiful!" Yuri's jaw dropped as she looked at student and mother. Her own one-piece suit was selected to hide a number of flaws she had attributed to aging. But, looking at Ryuuji's mom, she knew it was her own laziness that was to blame. Again, not for the first time, and not for the last, she vowed to do something about that.

"Thank you sensei," Ami told her as she struck a pose, "This is all thanks to Ryuuji keeping track of the nutrition and onee-chan's daily exercise routines." Ami looked herself over and did like how she turned out, "I couldn't have worn this only a month ago."

"Me either," Yasuko said, "I'm not exercising any more than I used to, but I am eating better and drinking less." A look of defiance turned into acceptance, "I think that really helped out a lot."

"You were both very dedicated and put in a lot of hard work to get here." Ryuuji saluted Yasuko and Ami.

"You're looking pretty good too Ryuuji," Yuri realized what she said as the words left her mouth and she immediately slapped a hand over her mouth and blushed.

"Yeah," Ryuuji grumbled, "somebody seems to have swiped my board shorts and the only swim wear I have with me are these skimpy brief things I didn't even know I owned!"

"Guilty!" Ami and Yasuko said together. Ami then laughed while Yasuko dissolved into giggles.

"Don't worry sensei," Ryuuji laughed, "I know this isn't one of those silly manga scenes where the attractive teacher seduces the clueless student."

"Do they really have manga's like that?" Yasuko asked.

"So I'm told." Ami answered dismissively.

"Oh God Ryuuji, it is so good to see you laughing again." Yuri wiped a tear away from her eye as she looked at the fit and smiling young man, "I was so worried about you."

Ami and Yasuko looked at each other with concern. Neither of them thought Yuri would say something like that. They hadn't yet had the opportunity to explain how they were handling Ryuuji's recovery and what the rules were. Ryuuji seemed a little shaken at his teacher's words. Ami knew she had to change the subject quickly.

"Ryuuji," Ami prompted, "You were going to tell us what the deal is on this hotel?"

"Actually," Ryuuji smiled, "it is thanks to sensei that I found this place."

"Eh?" Yuri definitely didn't remember looking up Tokyo hotels with a student, but it didn't look like anyone was taking that meaning so she didn't panic too much.

"I turned in a paper last year and got a bad score because I referenced a bad source." Ryuuji explained, "Sensei explained that it isn't enough to site a reference because you don't know the value of the reference. You have to do a little more research and reference the reference itself."

"I remember that." Yuri looked down, "I felt bad giving you that score. The paper was really well written, but it couldn't be helped since the underlying information was bad."

"So, when I was looking up places to stay and reading the reviews, I noticed a pattern to the reviews and discovered that many of the reviews are from local papers or web sites that are owned by companies that also own the hotels."

"But not this one?" Yasuko wondered.

"This hotel was built by the Yamada family about forty years ago." Ryuuji told them what he had learned of this place, " Back then, there weren't as many skyscrapers in Tokyo and from the top floors of this hotel, you could see Mount Fuji in one direction, and Tokyo Bay in another. After the newer buildings went up, many considered this hotel outdated and it no longer had a good view."

"That's so sad." Yasuko frowned.

"The Yamada family sold the hotel about twenty years ago and it has been converted into a discount hotel, a storage facility, and even a love motel over the years."

"Love motel!" Yuri and Ami both yelped. Yasuko looked at the two of them and was confused at their fearful reaction.

"Don't worry," Ryuuji reassured them, "it used a different name when it was a love motel."

"Why is that a problem?" Yasuko asked.

"Onee-chan," Ami pointed at Yuri and raised an eyebrow, "sensei with students in a love motel?"

"Oh..." Yasuko looked shocked as she realized the implications.

"Anyway," Ryuuji continued, "the Yamada family has purchased the hotel and they are trying to make a go of it as a smaller, more personal luxury hotel that is close to several important locations that have been built up in the last twenty years."

"Oh, that's so sweet!" Yasuko cheered their efforts.

"How are they doing?" Yuri asked.

"They have had some setbacks." Ryuuji explained, "Rebuilding the lobby is taking longer and is more expensive than they had projected. The main elevators still aren't working. It seems that the previous owners really ran the place into the ground."

"I hope they make it." Yuri said as she stretched out in the glorious hot water.

"Me too." Yasuko agreed.

"I promised to write them a thorough review when we are done here." Ryuuji told them. Suddenly there was blond hair all around his face and the feel of large breasts in his back as his mother gave him a hug.

"You're such a good boy!" she couldn't help but squeal as the pride for her son overflowed.

"Yasuko!" Ryuuji blushed, "You're not wearing enough swim suit to be hugging me like that!"

Ami and Yuri laughed as they watched a happy mother playfully teasing her son.

* * *

Ryuuji busied himself in the kitchen as he prepared a shrimp Yakisoba from what he found in the pantry. Cooking in this kitchen was a joy for him. The layout was good and he quickly found everything he needed. Not only intent on the cooking, he was also thinking about how he would be budgeting the food for the next week here. He had originally planned for three but it wouldn't cost that much more to make food for four.

While he was making dinner, the girls were putting their things away in the two bedrooms that were attached to the central living area. One of the rooms had a single extravagantly large bed in it and the other room had two slightly smaller beds in it. There was only a moment's hesitation before the three girls silently conspired and moved off to put everything away.

The girls were finishing up putting things away and Ryuuji was finishing up in the kitchen when he heard a voice near him.

"Excuse me Takasu-san," Ryuuji was slightly startled, but he recognized the voice.

"Ah, Yamada-san," Ryuuji answered, "I didn't hear you come in."

"Alas," Yukiko frowned, "another thing that is broken. There is supposed to be a chime when someone seeks admittance from the service elevators."

"Not a problem," Ryuuji smiled, "you made sure that I understood the conditions before I agreed to the reservations and to be honest, you made it sound worse than it is. This suite is fantastic!"

"Thank you very much Takasu-san," Yukiko bowed. "I had come to prepare dinner for your party. It is the least I could do since our restaurant is not yet functional. But it seems that you are quite the cook." Yukiko peered at the yakisoba that Ryuuji was preparing and nodded approvingly.

"Thank you, Yamada-san," Ryuuji smiled, "I have been preparing all of Kawashima-san's meals since she has decided to return to her modeling career."

"Impressive," Yukiko commented, "I had no idea that a manager's responsibilities were so… all-encompassing."

"Heh," Ryuuji smiled as he told her, "I've only been called manager since this morning. I started out as her cook."

"Nicely done, Mr. Manager." Yukiko complemented his recent promotion, "But you may be too busy to prepare dinner tomorrow if you are going to be performing your function as her Manager, so..." Yukiko placed a business card with her contact information on the counter top, "Please call me when you are on your way back and I will make sure that a healthy meal is prepared."

"I am in your debt, Yamada-san." Ryuuji thanked her.

"Absolutely not," Yukiko insisted, "considering the state of my… the hotel, you are a most understanding and patient guest. It is the least I can do."

"Ah," her comment reminded Ryuuji of something, "speaking of guests, is it a problem that I showed up with four instead of three?"

"Not at all," she assured him, "the penthouse is contracted as a facility so there is no additional cost per person. However, for legal reasons, I will need to get some required information from her if she will be staying overnight."

"Her name is Koigakubo Yuri," Ryuuji told her as he continued the dinner preparations, "she is Ami and my high school teacher and is with us as a tutor for the duration of the stay."

"High school?" Yukiko asked.

"Yes," Ryuuji seemed confused, "I thought I put my birth date down on the forms that I filled out for the reservation?"

"Oh yes, you did." Yukiko laughed, "I was just so taken by your maturity and confidence that I thought maybe it had been a mistake."

"Thank you very much, Yamada-san!" Ryuuji gave a slight bow while continuing to stir the simmering vegetables.

"Well, I don't want to take up any more of your time and it looks like you have this evening's dinner under control. Since she will be here for several days, I will get Koigakubo-san's information tomorrow, if that is acceptable."

"Of course," Ryuuji told her as she was heading for the door, "Only Kawashima-san and I will be going to the studio tomorrow so she should be available at any time."

After she left, Ryuuji looked at her business card and decided to take her up on the offer to prepare the dinner… at least once. After all, if he was going to give the hotel a thorough review, it should include commentary on the food. He smiled back a small laugh. He had caught her slip-up when she almost referred to _Le Dauphin_ as her hotel. She obviously thought he didn't know, but his research had been thorough. She was Yukiko of the Yamada family and reviving this hotel was her test. The Yamada family had given her this test to see if she could be trusted with an important position within the family company that owned and operated many hotels and restaurants around the world.

* * *

After Ryuuji finished cleaning up, he headed to the bedroom that had the two beds in it. He didn't like the idea of sleeping in the same room with Ami, but it couldn't be helped. As they had pointed out on the train earlier today, any other arrangement would put a high school teacher in a hotel bedroom with a student and that could only end badly. Ryuuji winced when he realized that he should have asked Yamada-san for a portable curtain to place between the beds so that Ami could have at least some privacy. It was too late to bother her about it now. He thought about fixing up something with a sheet or a blanket… Arriving at the door, he knocked to let her know he was coming in.

"Ami, are you decent?" Ryuuji was about to open the door when he heard an unexpected voice.

"Ryuuji?" Yuri's voice called back from the other side of the door, "your mother and I have this room. You and Ami are in the other room."

"I see." Ryuuji frowned. Obviously this meant that Amy wanted that huge bed for herself and he would be sleeping on a couch in the living room. He should have seen that coming. Oh well, at least there was one thing he could take care of now. "Sensei, is Yasuko in there now?"

"No," Yuri sounded as if she was just on the other side of the door now, "she is having another soak in that hot tub. I was about to head up to join her." The door opened and his teacher stood there in her one-piece swim suit.

"I'll walk with you," he said as he stood aside for her to come out of the room. "I need to ask a favor of you… concerning Yasuko."

"Oh?" Yuri asked.

"Please do not refer to her as my mother..." Ryuuji started to explain, but Yuri's instant and angry reaction interrupted him.

"Ryuuji," Yuri gasped, "how disrespectful!"

"No!" Ryuuji said firmly to his teacher. Even though she had known him for a year now, with the combination of his dangerous countenance and the force he put into the rebuke, she was stunned to silence. He smiled apologetically and continued, "This is for her sake, not for me. You may have noticed that I call her by her first name. That makes her feel young and energetic. I don't mind calling her mom or mother or mommy, but doing so makes her feel old and that makes her depressed."

"But sooner or later..." Yuri was about to go down a path of logic that Ryuuji was already familiar with.

"It can be later." Ryuuji told his teacher as they got to the top of the stairs, "Yasuko had me when she was quite young. She never went to high school because of it. She is actually only a few years older than you."

"Oh…" Yuri felt guilty for jumping to the conclusion that Ryuuji was a terrible son. She should have known better. She had seen him through all of the previous year and knew that he was the kind of person that cared deeply. Remembering the fiasco with Taiga right at the end of that school year, she wondered if he might care a little too deeply for his own good.

"Can you do this for me?" Ryuuji asked her as they got to the glass doors to the pool area.

"What should I call her?" Yuri accepted Ryuuji's request and made a personal vow that she would not jump to conclusions about him ever again.

"I call her Yasuko, Ami calls her onee-chan, Tai..." he paused and took a deep breath, "another friend of mine used to call her Ya-chan. You should discuss it with her."

"What are you two talking about?" Yasuko asked them as Ryuuji opened the door for his sensei. Yasuko had been seated on one of the pool loungers and had seen them talking through the glass doors.

"I'm sorry sensei!" Ryuuji shouted as he grabbed Yuri by both shoulders, "After gaining your trust, I have lured you here for purposes that you will find arduous and painful, and possibly embarrassing."

"What?" Yuri cried out as she wondered what this teenager had on his mind. Yasuko sat up in excitement to see what fun her son was going to have with his teacher.

"Yasuko!" Ryuuji called out over his teacher's head, "I want you to take my sensei as you have taken my classmate. Be the big sister that challenges her. Find all of her soft spots. Grind her down. Work her as hard as you can. Build her up again. I want her looking good in a swim suit like Ami's in ten days. Can you do it?"

"What?" Yuri wanted to run but Ryuuji's strong hands held her firmly in place. Then she felt Yasuko's hands take hers and pull her around to face the busty blond.

"Do you want to look like this in a swim suit?" Yasuko asked the blushing teacher.

"Y… yes." Yuri couldn't believe she was saying this but the proof that a woman her age could look this good was right in front of her. And she did want to look good in a bikini. She wanted that so bad!

"To get you there in ten days, you're going to have to really want it and you're going to have to promise me that you won't give up or hate me along the way." Yasuko warned Yuri.

"I want this!" Yuri looked up at Yasuko's eyes and realized that she wanted this more than she thought she did, "I really do!" All the times that she said she needed to do something about her physical conditioning and never seemed to find the time to get started… she had that chance now and she vowed to take it.

"Promise me you won't hate me!" Yasuko was insistent on that for some reason. Both Ryuuji and Yuri wondered if something like that had happened before.

"I promise I will never hate you for helping me to achieve my dream!" Yuri watched the smile start on Yasuko's face and decided to add the icing to the cake, "I put myself in your care, onee-chan!"

"Oh!" Yasuko suddenly looked like a little girl on Christmas morning. She pulled Yuri into a hug and cried out, "She's sooooooo cute!"

The muted cries and squeals that Ryuuji could hear echoing in the tiered garden as he walked back to the curving staircase indicated that Yasuko had already begun the… inspection process. Yuri would probably be put through her paces before she was allowed to go to bed tonight. Yasuko would need to know what shape she was in to begin with, after all.

It was very likely that Yasuko would be quite tired in the morning. It was also likely that Yuri may not be able to walk at all.

* * *

There was no answer when Ryuuji knocked on the other bedroom door. He supposed Ami was already asleep. Quietly entering the room, he could see that no-one was in the bed yet, but the light in the bathroom was on. He looked around for his suitcase but couldn't see it anywhere. He was about to search through the dressers for his stuff when he heard Ami's voice.

"Just finished cleaning up? Was the dishwasher broken?" Ami asked.

"No no," Ryuuji explained, "I finished some time ago. I just needed to have a chat with Yuri."

"Oh?" Ami knew that Ryuuji would never go down that path, but hearing that he had a private conversation with another woman did cause a prickle of jealousy to emerge. Even if it was with sensei.

"Yeah. No more _mom_ references." Ryuuji said, "from now on it looks like sensei will be calling her onee-chan too."

"I see." interestingly, the jealousy got worse. Ami put a lot of sweat and pain into keeping up with _her_ onee-chan! _Who d_ _oes_ _sensei think she_ _i_ _s that she c_ _an_ _just waltz in and start calling her…_

"We may not be seeing much of them tomorrow." Ryuuji interrupted Ami's thoughts, "Yasuko has promised to drive sensei's workouts so she looks good in a bikini in ten days."

"Ten days?" Ami was impressed. She knew how much even a healthy woman would have to go through to keep up with Yasuko's pace for ten days. Smiling at the thought of what was in store for her poor teacher… but what it would mean for her in the end, she said, "I guess it's okay then."

"What's okay then?" Ryuuji asked.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Changing the subject, Ami then told him, "Your pajama's are in the bathroom hanging up. Hurry up and get to sleep, we have an early day tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am!" Ryuuji chuckled as he saluted her and marched off to the bathroom to get changed. Hanging in the bathroom was indeed a set of men's pajamas. They looked silky and soft. They were a bright red with a black and gold dragon print. These weren't the pajama's he had brought with him at all. First the swim suit and now this. He started to wonder what other surprises they had in store for him. Oh well, at least he could see if they fit.

After a few minutes, he looked in the mirror and decided that they looked as good as they felt. Surprisingly, these pajama's fit better than the ones he had intended to bring. Then again, those pajama's were a few years old too. He thought about complaining but that would make him a hypocrite. After all, hadn't he just tossed his poor unsuspecting teacher to his mother, to be her new plaything, so she wouldn't be bored while Ami and Ryuuji would be off at the studio? Instead, he would thank them tomorrow for the wonderful gift.

Heading out of the bathroom, he headed for the linen closet and started to look for a spare blanket and pillow to use on the couch in the living room. He hadn't even glanced at the bed. He didn't want to give Ami any reason to call him a pervert.

"If you're wanting to go through my underwear, I've already moved it from the suitcase to the dresser." Ami said slyly.

 _Dammit!_ Ryuuji thought.

"Pervert." Ami teasingly added.

"I'm looking for a blanket and a pillow so I can sleep on the couch." Ryuuji said tersely.

"The hell you are!" Ami threw a pillow at him, "We're both wearing pajama's and this bed is as big as a basketball court. You sleep on that side and I'll sleep on this side and we'll be fine."

"Are you sure about this?" Ryuuji turned around to face Ami but only looked at the pillow in his hands as he considered his options, "What if this gets out?"

"What of it?" Ami countered, "You're supposed to be my boyfriend, remember. And I'm a model, not a nun."

"But..." Ryuuji was still concerned about ruining Ami's reputation.

"Believe me," Ami said, "it would be far worse for me if anyone found out that we weren't sleeping in the same bed. Questions would be asked. They would print all kinds of ugly stories from sources-that-wished-not-to-be-named about their own version of what is really going on. I don't want that and you don't either."

"I guess not." Ryuuji carefully got into the bed and stayed so close to his edge that his arm was hanging off the mattress. "Ami, if I roll over in my sleep and get too close, just kick me and I'll move back or sleep on the floor..."

"Ryuuji… shut up." Ami sighed, "I was kidding when I called you a pervert. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." Ryuuji stung from being told to shut up. He wondered if he had just pissed her off.

"You're a good man." She told him, "Better than you know. Better than a girl like me deserves. You will probably be the best man I ever share a bed with. So if I can't trust you, I might as well give up on humanity itself."

"Wow," Ryuuji said as he thought over the words, "that's a really good line."

"I know, right?" Ami smiled.

"Is that from a movie, or a manga or something?"

"An old television show," Ami admitted. She wanted to add _but I meant it. Even if I borrowed the lines, I meant it._ \- but she just couldn't say the words.

"All right then," Ryuuji chuckled, "sweet dreams, girlfriend."

Ba-Dump!

 _Dammit Ryuuji!_ Ami’s eyes were wide open and staring into the darkness of the room. _How am I supposed to sleep after you say something like that?_

.

* * *

"DOG!" A small orange-gold whirlwind of hair with fierce amber eyes jabbed him roughly in the face then caused excruciating pain by poking him directly in the eyes.

"No..." why was it hurting him? At some level, he was happy to see the tornado of emotion and abuse, but it always caused him pain.

"MONGREL!" The whirlwind was punching him now. Small fists landed blows on his body and even his face. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to protect himself from the next painful impact.

"Please stop!" He shouted to no avail. He just wanted the hurting to stop. He wanted it to go away. He had lived with so much pain for so long. Was it even possible to live without pain?

"MUTT!" The pain increased as the cruel whirlwind began kicking him in the ribs and even the spine. It didn't even seem like the pain was a result of hatred. Sometimes he heard laughter from the small tornado that rained abuse at him.

"You don't deserve this pain," a comforting voice whispered into his ear as arms and legs folded in around him protectively. It was as if he had fallen down a stairway and someone caught him and was now holding him in a loving embrace. The whirlwind was receding. It was still there but it couldn't hurt him any more. It was still out there but he was starting to trust that he could live a life without pain if he wanted to. If he deserved to.

"You're a good man." a familiar but unexpected voice said to him. A flood of gratitude and comfort washed over him. There was someone beside him. A very special someone. That someone made the pain go away. That someone was standing firm with him as he kept his eye on the chaos of the whirlwind now receding into the distance. He knew he could trust his special someone. He could feel the love for him that was there. He had tried to deny it, but it was strong and he was not that obtuse. He knew if he but looked at the special someone, all would be revealed. He would see the face. He would know the name. The love in his soul would be revealed and he would be unable to hide his reciprocal feelings any longer.

He wanted to look. He wanted to see the face and know the name so very badly. He yearned to feel the warmth that he had felt so long ago and had lost. And that loss had brought such terrible terrible pain. If he looked, the pain might come back. If he didn't look, the pain wouldn't come back, but he would also lose the warmth that his heart yearned for.

Was this fight futile anyway? He knew without looking who the special someone was. He knew who had rescued him. He knew who stood beside him and protected him. He knew who it was all along. But to know and to choose to look were two different things. If he looked, he could be lost to someone again. He knew as a certainty that if he looked upon the face of his special someone, he could never go back. He could never unsee that face.

In the end, the question put to his broken and rebuilt heart was whether he was ready to brave the storms again. If he was willing to risk the pain of loss for the warmth of love. Heart and soul warred over that question but he knew he had to at least thank his special someone for all that had been done for him. Even if he was unready to look upon that face, he must show his appreciation for healing his wounded heart.

"Thank you, Ami." Ryuuji woke up and opened his eyes as he said those words.

During their sleep, they had found each other. Ryuuji was almost in the middle of the gigantic bed and Ami was cuddled up to his side. Her head was on his shoulder and her arm and leg were thrown over his body. Her hand rested on his chest over his heart. She was still asleep and her relaxed face was what Ryuuji was looking into as he opened his eyes.

"Oh, now that's just cheating!" His soul said to his heart. The nightmare was fading away with the first streams of sunlight coming in through the windows after having bounced off the nearby skyscrapers. For some reason Ryuuji imagined his heart doing a victory dance after winning a battle with his soul that didn't really mind losing so much.

For a moment, Ryuuji thought about disentangling himself and slipping away before Ami woke up, but he couldn't do that now. She was so beautiful in her peaceful slumber and he realized now how much he loved her. Instead, he placed his right hand over hers on his chest and using his left hand to smooth her hair away from her face, he kissed her on her forehead.

 


	9. Princess Yuri I

**As long as there's at least one person who understands me, I'll be okay.**

* * *

Ami woke up with that confusion that sometimes comes with sleeping in a different place. It is not an unusual feeling for someone that travels a lot, but Ami really hadn't been doing that lifestyle for over a year now and this just felt weird. The first thing she noticed was that her body pillow that she cuddled up to in her sleep, felt unusually warm. The warmth wasn't an uncomfortable feeling at all. In fact, between the pleasant warmth and the way it just seemed to fit her perfectly, she wouldn't mind staying in bed all day like this. Even the rise and fall of the pillow while it was breathing was a comfortable sensation.

_Breathing?_

Ami opened her eyes and found herself looking at the side of Ryuuji's face. For a moment she wondered why he was lying on her body pillow. Her eyes almost crossed with confusion when she realized how stupid it was to wonder why he was on her body pillow when she should be wondering why he was in her bedroom. Her mouth opened, not yet sure whether she should scream or ask questions, or…

 _This is not my room._ Her brain was finally catching up. In a flash it seemed to recall all the events that led to her waking up snuggled up to Ryuuji. She was really glad she hadn't screamed, but she did need to un-snuggle herself from Ryuuji before he woke up. As much as this pleased her, she knew there was no way he was ready for this level of intimacy with her. She needed to take stock of her situation and figure out the best way out of this. He was lying on his back next to her. Her head was on his left shoulder, her arm was thrown over his chest and her left leg was over his legs. She smirked to herself as she realized that this is exactly how she wakes up snuggled to her body pillow. The differences were Ryuuji's hands. His left hand was resting against the back of her head and his right hand was holding her left hand over his heart.

_Th-thump!_

_He's holding my hand… Oh no!_ Ami knew that there would be no way to stealthfully get away from him if he was holding her hand. Then again, his grip wouldn't be too strong in his sleep. Perhaps if she could free her hand first, then...

"Oh, you two are so cute together!" Yasuko's exuberant voice filled the room.

"Ah!" Ami cried out in surprise. She inadvertently cringed even closer to Ryuuji. She felt Ryuuji react too. His arm pulled her closer to him. His left hand protectively covered her head and his right hand grasped the hand over her heart in a firm grip. He was holding her head to his shoulder as he raised up a little and looked around the room.

_Th-thump!_

_Th-thump!_

Part of Ami wanted to scream at him to let her go, but only a little part. Her heart beat felt like a bass drum as she reacted to how it felt to have his strong arms around her and to the way he protectively held her to his chest. Instead of screaming, she took a deep breath to calm herself but only found herself becoming more excited as she filled her lungs with Ryuuji's scent.

"Yasuko?" she heard Ryuuji ask, "What's going on?" From his voice, it sounded like he might be a little disoriented too.

"Yuri and I have finished our morning run." Yasuko said as she stretched her arms over her head, "Yamada-san is in the kitchen and breakfast is ready. Last night, Ami said she wanted to leave by nine, so you two have an hour and a half."

"Ami?" Ryuuji was suddenly aware of the person he held close to his body all this time, "Ah!"

He looked down at the face he held to his chest and saw her looking back at him.

"Hi there." Ami mumbled through his silky pajama shirt. She half expected him to let go of her and jump away as if he had suddenly found himself holding a live snake. She could feel the tension in his arms and was awaiting the sudden cold sensation of no longer having him next to her. Any second now he would be distancing himself from…

"Ami," Ryuuji said softly to her as he relaxed his hold on her body… but didn't let go of her, "I have to admit to you that I woke up a while ago and found that we were snuggled up like this. It may have been wrong, but I chose to stay with you like this. I know I promised..."

"Shut up, you big idiot." Ami smiled, "Boyfriends and girlfriends are supposed to cuddle, right?"

"Um, well… yeah." Ryuuji wondered how far Ami planned on taking this act. After his nightmare revelation last night, he knew how he felt about Ami, but he was just a means to an end for her.

"Of course they are!" Yasuko cheered, "But you really do need to get moving if you want to be at the studio on time." Yasuko seemed uncharacteristically insistent that they get a move on this morning.

"Onee-chan." Ami grumbled.

"Okay, okay," Ryuuji finally let go of Ami and moved toward his side of the bed.

Ami also agreed and reluctantly crawled off of the massive mattress. Once out of the bed, the delicious smells of breakfast lured them out into the living area. On their way to the kitchen, they passed a couch and saw Yuri sprawled over it like she had died there. The heavy breathing and whimpering gave it away that she wasn't really dead… yet.

"Onee-chan," Ami called after the bouncing busty blond, "we just got Koigakubo-sensei back as our teacher, so please don't kill her."

"Bless you, child!" Yuri called out between gasps of air.

"How are your legs?" Ryuuji stopped and asked the exhausted woman.

"They feel like rubber," Yuri said worriedly, "I'm not sure I remember how to use them!"

"They'll be better in a bit," Ryuuji smiled as he moved in and picked up his teacher in a princess carry.

"No, Ryuuji… what are you doing?" Yuri gasped as she was swept up in the strong arms of the teenager and carried toward the kitchen.

"You need to eat breakfast," he told her with a menacing smile, "you need to keep your strength up. Yasuko isn't done with you yet."

"Eeep!" Yuri was genuinely worried if she would last the ten days she had promised.

* * *

"I know it isn't as grand as the main entrance," Yukiko told Ami and Ryuuji as she led them from the service elevator foyer to the back delivery entrance, "but we have a lot going on in there right now and I don't want you two covered in construction dust before you head out.

"That's very thoughtful, thank you." Ami said.

"Kawashima-san, please accept my apologies for the disparaging remarks I am about to make regarding some of the people in your profession but there is something that I believe Takasu-san needs to know… and something he needs to take care of."

"Okay..." Ami was surprised at the forwardness of this hotel worker but if it would help Ryuuji out…

"Please understand that I have several years of experience with the industry and my comments come as from an insider." Yukiko explained to Ryuuji, "As a manager, Kawashima-san is your first and only client, is she not?"

"Yes." Ryuuji admitted.

"She is, in fact, the only model that you have met personally, is she not?"

"She is." Ryuuji answered honestly. The questions were beginning to worry him that he might not be up to the job.

"Then please understand that as a person, your client is most definitely a cut above other models. You will find that most of them are vain, selfish, and act like a bunch of tittering idiots."

"Hey..." Ryuuji felt that Ami had just been insulted but he stopped his response when he felt Ami's hand on his arm.

"No, it's okay." Ami's smile faded as she recalled that was just the way she acted when she had first met Ryuuji, "She is right."

"That being said," Yukiko handed Ryuuji a small silk bag, "you may want to wear these." Ryuuji opened the small bag and pulled out a pair of black wayfarer glasses with blue mirrored lenses.

"Mirror-shades?" he asked.

"They are light reactive so they can be worn indoors." Yukiko explained, "And the reflective lens..."

"Will keep the tittering idiots from panicking." Ami finished the thought. She knew Ryuuji didn't like the reminder that his face looked like something from an organized crime movie poster, but it was better to take care of this now than have a bunch of models claiming they couldn't do their best work because of the scary man.

"Thank you Yamada-san." Ryuuji apparently came to the same conclusion. After thanking his host, he slipped the wayfarers on and got used to the feel of them.

"Do you know what time you will be back?" Yukiko asked.

"Not really," Ami answered, "these things have a pretty loose schedule."

"Well, you have my card?" Yukiko asked.

"Yes," Ryuuji answered, "and I have the contact information in my phone now."

"Very well," Yukiko smiled, "I will begin dinner preparations when you let me know you are on your way back."

"Thank you for all your assistance, Yamada-san." Ryuuji said. He watched her go back into her hotel and turned to Ami.

"Did you call a taxi?" Ami was about to remind him of his responsibilities as her manager.

"No," Ryuuji smiled, "do you need a taxi to travel four blocks?"

"Four blocks?" Ami gasped, "This place is only four blocks away from the studio?"

"Yes," Ryuuji smiled as he stepped off onto the sidewalk that would take them to Ami's destiny.

* * *

Ryuuji was a bit surprised. The building was nondescript and he had been expecting something flashy. Ami explained that this was where they did the actual work. There was another location that hosted presentations, galas, and other shows. That would be the flashy location.

Not much happened the first day. They checked in at the event desk and Ryuuji discovered that Ami must have made some phone calls to set this up, because they had a printed name badge for him that identified him as Kawashima Ami's manager. He spent the day as he expected he would: following Ami around, getting her drinks when she needed them, and generally trying to stay out of the way.

He was impressed with the number of people that seemed to remember Ami. Most welcomed her back with wishes of luck and success. Some of them even hugged her. There were others though that seemed less thrilled that she was trying to get back into the business, although no-one was outright hostile to her. At least that made it easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Then again...

Ryuuji remembered the fake Ami that he had met over a year ago and how difficult it had been to know the difference between the sweet and aloof girl she pretended to be and the… less than sweet girl that she was. If it hadn't been for Kitamura pointing it out, he wasn't sure how long it would have taken him to see through her. Modeling and acting skills had allowed her to pull that off… or would have if not for Kitamura. And now, he was in a building full of people with modeling and acting skills.

Feeling the inadequacy of his inexperience once again, he was returned to his doubt about being a good manager for her. These people played by the rules of an entirely different game, than what he was used to. He doubted he would ever learn the politics and infighting that seemed to be rife in this industry. If he was going to protect her, he needed to know how to play the game. There had to be a way to tell which of the well-wishers were really her friends and which were not. He wondered if Ami even knew. He tried to think back to each encounter and how Ami reacted. At first nothing came to mind, but then he remembered something in the way she treated him when she met an old acquaintance.

Whenever she met one of the people that was clearly less than pleased to see her, she would make an effort to hold onto his arm while other times she would simply stand near him. He also recalled that she was on his arm a few of the times the encounter had seemed friendly. He hadn't noticed the pattern in time to get the names of the first few, but he would remember the names of the rest of the ones that seemed to upset her.

That wouldn't be enough though. Sure, Ami's reaction could be a guide to which ones should not be trusted, but how could he tell which ones should be trusted. He needed to talk to someone who's reactions were genuine. In his mind, he ran back through all the introductions that he had gone through and the only ones that he could tell were genuine were the ones that didn't like Ami… Ryuuji smiled as a plan came to him. Remembering a card game adage, he decided to apply it to his current predicament, _you don't play the game, you play the people_.

Ryuuji didn't notice that half a dozen people in the area saw him smile and suddenly decided there was somewhere else they urgently needed to be. While the blue mirror-shades did hide his sanpaku eyes, they did nothing to hide his smile. Though friends and family would testify that he was a real sweetheart, no-one would deny that his smile could be terrifying to the uninitiated.

* * *

"Please… please, onee-chan!" Yuri gasped as she tried valiantly to follow the bouncing blond up the stairwell.

"Just one more flight Yuri-chan," Yasuko bubbled, "and we'll be on the fifteenth floor!"

"Again..." Yuri groaned, "We'll be... on the... fifteenth… floor… again."

It was true. After a short conversation with Yukiko, Yasuko had found out that the fifth, tenth, fifteenth, and twentieth floors were completely vacant. They didn't even have walls in them. That's when she came up with their exercise plan. They would take the elevator down to the fifth floor where they would run laps, then run up some stairs to the tenth floor, then run some laps there, then more stairs, and so on until they got back to the penthouse – which was on the twenty-fourth floor.

Yasuko thought it was a wonderful plan.

Yuri thought it was hell.

"IEEEP!" Yuri squealed as she felt Yasuko's hands grab her butt through the thin fabric of the jogging shorts she was wearing.

"Move it, sister!" Yasuko shouted her encouragement to her son's teacher, "this wobbly ass is going to look so good in a bikini when we're done!"

"Yes!" Yuri focused on the promised results and found the energy to keep going up those horrible stairs.

"You're going to look so good, I'll have to keep all the men away from you with a stick." Yasuko teased. A step later and Yuri had stopped in her tracks and turned to face Yasuko.

"Don't… you… dare..." Yuri panted heavily but was able to raise an accusing finger toward the smiling Yasuko.

"That's what this is all about, isn't it?" Yasuko took the accusing finger and the hand with it in her own hand and walked up the last step to stand on the stairway landing with Yuri. For a moment, Yuri was frightened. She wasn't frightened of Yasuko, but she knew the subject of her fear was about to be opened.

"No." Yuri wanted to tell Yasuko to stop. She wasn't ready to talk about this. It wasn't the right time.

"You hit thirty and you have no man and no kids and this isn't how you thought it would be." Yasuko pulled Yuri into a hug as the tears started to fall.

"NO!" Yuri didn't want to cry. Crying meant accepting and she didn't want to accept any of this. "What's wrong with me? Why doesn't anyone love me? What did I do wrong?" Yuri bawled for several minutes on that step before she heard Yasuko's voice.

"I'm surprised at you Koigakubo Yuri," Yasuko said softly, "for such a good teacher, you sure do come up with some wrong answers."

"Huh?" Yuri lifted her head from Yasuko's shoulder where she had been crying and looked into the kind brown eyes of the smiling blond.

"There is nothing wrong with you, other than what a little exercise will cure." Yasuko smiled, "And, of course people love you! I heard the story from Ami about the celebration the class threw when they got you back as a teacher. When was the last time you heard of a class full of teenagers being that thrilled about a teacher, huh?"

"But..." Yuri choked.

"No butts!" Yasuko's arms reached around behind Yuri and her hands grabbed the woman by both cheeks, "except this one!" Yasuko smiled and told the pouting Yuri, "You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, I am proud of you."

"Eh?" Yuri didn't know how that could be. She felt like such a failure.

"I fell in love and got pregnant when I was young. He left me before Ryuuji was born and I had to make it on my own. I never went to high school or college." Yasuko smiled and looked up into the eyes of the despondent woman, "But you... We are about the same age but you have done so much with your life! You persevered and went to college and became a teacher."

"But I haven't..." Yuri was cut off.

"Shush!" Yasuko's smile returned, "Last year was a very important year for Ryuuji, and you were a part of that year. You showed him a teacher that was human and had feelings. A teacher that actually cared about him and didn't give up on him. You may think it was nothing, but to a troubled teenager, it can mean everything."

"I was only..." Yuri started to say.

"Don't you DARE say you were only doing your job!" Yasuko frowned at Yuri.

"Hmurrf." Yuri tried to stifle a laugh.

"What?" Yasuko was surprised at a laugh at a time like this.

"Onee-chan, you're truly amazing," Yuri told her, "even your frown is cute." Both of them laughed for a minute then Yuri said, "If you let go of my butt, I think I'm ready to start running again."

A flight of stairs below, Yamada Yukiko listened to the two laugh once more and start running up the stairs again. She had overheard a private conversation and she would never speak of it. But it had been heartwarming and revealing. These were genuinely good people. Quietly opening the door behind her, Yukiko left the stairwell and decided that even though Ryuuji himself was still suspicious, she would help these two out in any way that she could.

* * *

The sun was setting when Ami and Ryuuji left the studio. Since they were so close to the hotel, there wouldn't be much time for dinner preparation, so Ryuuji called Yukiko as soon as he found out they were done for the day. As they walked back to the hotel, Ami held onto Ryuuji's arm and seemed to be walking in a daze.

"Are you okay?" Ryuuji asked as they got within a block of the hotel.

"Yeah..." Ami smiled, "I was actually a little nervous about all this, but having you nearby made me feel… confident."

"I'm glad." Ryuuji told her, "To be honest, I felt pretty useless."

"Oh no," Ami laughed at him, "you did a great job today Mr. Manager!"

For a second it looked like Ami might lean in and go up on her toes for a kiss, but she seemed to catch herself and looked down to hide her blush instead. She blushed more when she felt his hand on the back of her head, pulling her face into his chest. She wondered what he was thinking when she heard him speaking to someone else.

"Are you with the studio?" Ryuuji asked the two men that he noticed getting out of a car and approaching them. One of them had a nice looking camera and the other looked like a business professional.

"No," the professional one offered a business card, "We are with a celebrity magazine." Ryuuji looked at the card. It had the picture of the man on the card and the name of the magazine as well. Ryuuji didn't recognize the magazine name since he wasn't interested in keeping up with celebrities, so he showed the card to Ami. "If we could just get a quick interview and a few candid shots, we will be out of your hair."

"Is that really all you want?" Ryuuji offered after Ami gave an almost imperceptible nod to the card.

"Yeah that's..." the interviewer noticed the tone of Ryuuji's voice wasn't what he expected, "what do you mean?"

"It's just that, she's been out of the business for over a year, right? I'd hate for the first interview, since she has announced her return, to be incomplete." Ryuuji could see the man's eyes open in anticipation as he digested Ryuuji's words.

"What… do you have in mind?" the interviewer tried not to show his eagerness as he asked.

"We will be very busy for the next nine days, but we will be here for an additional day and night at the hotel. We plan to do some shopping on that day and relax at the hotel one last night." Ryuuji explained his plan. "I'm going to look up your work and if I like it, I will call you. If it is agreeable to you, your photographer can follow us around and get his candid shots while we are shopping and we can end the day with a full, and exclusive interview, and possibly additional pictures, in our suite."

"You… you're kidding, right?" the interviewer looked shocked at the gold mine he just happened upon.

"No." Ryuuji answered simply.

"So, next Wednesday?" the interviewer asked.

"Next Thursday." Ryuuji insisted.

"Thursday a week, it is!" both men bowed and left before the crazy manager changed his mind.

Ryuuji started to move but Ami held onto him tight. For the first time, it occurred to Ryuuji that she might be scared. Worried about her, the hand on the back of her head began to stroke her long blue hair while he waited for her to give him a sign that she was okay.

"Are they gone?" she asked several minutes later.

"Yeah," he asked her, "are you okay?"

"Ryuuji," she looked up into his eyes, "I've never done a live interview before."

"Live?" Ryuuji looked back at the card, "He's with a magazine, not a television station."

"All my interviews have been over the phone or through email."

"If it will help, I'll be there with you," Ryuuji offered, "but I'm pretty sure you'll be fine."

"Yeah, it will help." Ami then hit him lightly in the chest, "and what makes you think I'll be fine?"

"I heard how you handled that jerk teacher the day I went to the counselors office." he smirked.

"Oh… yeah." Ami blushed. That story had been only slightly embellished since the day class 3-C got Koigakubo-sensei back. Ami was able to move now and they walked through the delivery entrance to the service elevators.

"If you don't want to do this..." Ryuuji asked after he slid his card through the reader and selected the penthouse level.

"I do," Ami had to tell him, "but we may not be able to. It will have to be approved through my agency."

"Do you think that will be a problem?" Ryuuji asked as the elevator doors slid open.

"Not really," Ami grinned, "any publicity is good publicity and free publicity is even better."

Ryuuji and Ami walked into the kitchen to see Yukiko there with one of her employees. They were busy with the dinner preparation.

"Welcome back Kawashima-san and Mr. Manager, dinner will be ready in thirty minutes." Yukiko told them, "I believe Takasu-chan and Koigakubo-chan are taking a bath.

"I'll go check on them." Ami smiled and headed for the room with the two beds.

"Yamada-san," Ryuuji asked, "are you making enough for five?"

"Easily," Yukiko looked up at Ryuuji as she asked, "are you expecting a guest?"

"I need you to join us for dinner." Ryuuji added, "I need to talk about something that concerns the hotel. It is an opportunity for you and it will require your permission."

“Of course,” Yukiko smiled a mask that hid her deepening suspicion of Takasu Ryuuji. _Perhaps the confrontation would be after dinner, but in front of his family and friends? Perhaps they are parts of his plans after all._ Yukiko would have to be careful around all of them.

* * *

After Ryuuji explained the initial part of the plan to everyone, he turned to Yukiko.

"Ami said something that made me think about how we can help you." he told her, "She said _any publicity is good publicity and free publicity is even better_. So, when the interviewer comes up to the suite, I'll also invite the photographer and they can take shots of Ami in the suite, the rooftop garden, and the hot tub."

"Is that okay with you Kawashima-san?" Yukiko asked Ami. The question accomplished its objective. Yukiko needed to get attention away from herself, so no-one would see how rattled she was. This was hardly the confrontation she had been readying herself for. Either Takasu-san was truly innocent, which she considered to be very unlikely, or the web he planned to ensnare her in was much too complicated for her to figure out.

"The hot tub… I've never done swim-wear shoots, but thanks to onee-chan, I am in better shape than I have been my whole life." Ami decided, "I'll do it."

"That reminds me," Ryuuji turned to Yasuko and Yuri, "they don't know anything about you. If you don't want to get caught up in this, you don't have to be."

"No!" Ami objected before either of the women could say anything, "I want them with me on the shopping trip! I've been looking forward to the Tokyo shopping trip with onee-chan since we made these plans, and now that sensei is here I want her along too!"

"Oh Ami-chan," Yuri started to decline, "this is your big chance. I really don't think that AAAIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Yuri's body jumped as if it had been electrified as Yasuko's fingers found her sensitive ribs.

"Of course we'll be glad to join you Ami-chan!" Yasuko cheerfully agreed, "Won't we Yuri-chan?"

"But I… AIIIIEEEEEEE!" Yuri gasped as Yasuko moved those fingertips ever so slightly but ever so precisely to just the right nerve clusters, "YES! YES! I'll be glad to go!"

"Thank you sensei. Thank you onee-chan." Ami couldn't help but laugh at the sight of onee-chan smiling from behind her tickle stricken teacher.

* * *

"We're not going to have a fight are we?" Ami said to Ryuuji as he came back into the bedroom from the bathroom in his pajamas. Well, the pajama's that were laid out for him anyway. This night it was a pair of silky black with the same dragon print but this time in bright silver.

"What?" Ryuuji was confused. Ami hadn't seemed argumentative when he went into the bathroom and he wondered what could be bothering her.

"You're not going to get all weird and say that last night was too much for you and you have to sleep on the floor, or the couch, or a hammock in the greenhouse now, are you?"

"There's a hammock in the greenhouse?" he asked her.

"Ryuuji!" her fists were balled but her face said that she was afraid.

"Ami..." he was about to apologize for frightening her. It was the old problem of his scary face again… no. He had known her too long and she had never been afraid of his face. Then what? Her eyes were glassy and her lips were trembling. Not much, but he could see it. Was she afraid of what he might say? He didn't want to do anything to mess with her confidence on the first day of her come back so he decided he would do whatever made her the most comfortable.

"Ryuuji?" he had taken too long to think about it and she looked like she was getting really upset.

"Ami," he said, "I am your manager."

Ami's anger crested and she considered throwing furniture at him if he thought he could use that as an excuse now just to get out of…

"And, I am your boyfriend."

_Th-thump!_

Ami stopped breathing and her eyes opened wide. Had he just said what she thought he said? He didn't say _pretend boyfriend_ , or _boyfriend until the trip is over_ , or any other disclaimer… He said he was her boyfriend.

"I will sleep wherever you want me to sleep." he told her.

"Here." not yet over her shock, she pointed blankly at the bed, "and just like you were this morning too. No hanging off the edge way over there. I left my body pillow at home so you will have to do."

Ryuuji looked at the head of the mammoth bed where there were no less than four body pillows stacked against the gigantic headboard.

Ami's eyes followed his and saw the pillows too. She looked back at him. Saying nothing, but challenging him with her eyes.

"Well imagine that," Ryuuji said as he crawled into the bed, "I've been promoted to body pillow." Amy watched the unreal sight of Ryuuji sliding into the bed, throwing back the blanket, and holding his arm out for her to come snuggle in. For a moment she was shocked that she was getting away with this. Then she moved with a little jump to slide in next to him and take her position on his arm before he changed his mind.

"It's really okay, right?" she couldn't believe she heard herself asking him, "You really don't mind?" She hid her blushing face against his chest and felt his big hand on the back of her head as it was this morning when she woke up.

"I don't mind," he smiled as he started stroking her hair, "but try not to snore so much tonight."

"I don't snore." Ami rebuked him.

"Of course not," Ryuuji held back a laugh, "I'll talk to the management about the wild animal loose in the bedroom."

"I DON'T SNORE!" Ami hit Ryuuji's chest with her small fist to punctuate her comment.

"Perish the thought." He could hold back the laughter just barely, but his chest trembled with the effort.

"You're laughing at me, aren't you?" Ami asked in a flat tone.

"No, I would never..." Ryuuji started to protest.

"Ryuuji," Ami cut him off, "I want you to think very carefully about where my left knee is."

"Ulp," the laughter died away immediately, "Good night, Ami."

"Good night Ryuuji," Ami said in her ever-so-sweet voice.


	10. The Right Axiom

**It's difficult to like me when I'm being myself**

* * *

"Onee-chan… help me." Yuri's pitiful voice whimpered across the bedroom and woke Yasuko from a peaceful slumber.

"Yuri-chan?" Yasuko sat up and looked over at the other bed in the room. Yuri was motionless but she could hear breathing, "Are you okay?"

"I can't move… I hurt all over." Yuri was close to tears from the pain and the embarrassment. "And I need to go to the bathroom." she cried.

"Don't worry," Yasuko jumped out of bed in a panic, "I'll get help!" In a moment she reflexively grabbed her purse and her cell phone. Then, she was out the door and heading for the other bedroom.

"Good morning, Takasu-chan." Yukiko called out from the kitchen. Yasuko turned to see that Yukiko and another hotel employee were already in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Ah!" Yasuko was surprised and thought for a moment about asking them for help, but she decided Ryuuji would be best for this. "Good morning, Yamada-san!" she called out as she continued her hurried trot across the big living room to the other bedroom.

"Is something wrong?" Yukiko paused with the breakfast preparations and asked.

"Yes… I mean no!" Yasuko was obviously flustered, "Don't worry, Ryuuji will fix it!"

Yukiko watched the flustered woman knock on the other bedroom door and enter. Being the manager of a hotel that was still under reconstruction, she wondered what else needed to be fixed. Handing over the breakfast preparation tasks to her employee, she washed her hands and decided to have a look at what needed to be fixed.

Yasuko walked into Ami and Ryuuji's bedroom after she heard Ryuuji answer. The bed was empty and she could hear that someone was in the shower. For a moment she wondered if her son's relationship had progressed to the point that they were showering together, but a movement from the corner of her eye drew her attention to the big picture window that looked out on the skyscrapers of downtown Tokyo.

Ryuuji stood in the light of the open window. The early morning rays of light dazzled off the silver dragon tracings in the satin black pajama's he wore. The porcelain white coffee cup he held also caught the light and made it look as if he held a bit of the sun itself in his grasp. Yasuko's heart skipped a beat as she admired the man her little boy had become. He looked so good standing tall and proud, gazing out the window – she just wanted to look at him like this for a while and carve this image into her memory. As if her body were on auto-pilot, she raised her cell phone and took that picture. The shutter sound made by the cell phone snapped her out of her daze and she remembered that Yuri was in trouble.

"Oh," with a start, she remembered why she had come to his room, "Ryu-chan, quickly! Go help Yuri-chan, she's in trouble! I'll tell Ami-chan."

"Sensei’s in trouble? What happened?" Ryuuji already started to move to the door and passed his mother, who was on her way to the suite's bathroom to talk to Ami.

"I worked her too hard yesterday," Yasuko's voice conveyed the guilt she felt now, "she can't move."

Ryuuji knew what to do. He had massaged out this kind of pain for his mother for years and recently for Ami too. In a few strides he had crossed the living room and passed through the open door of the other bedroom. When he got inside, he could see Yukiko trying to help Yuri up off the bed but Yuri's body was not cooperative. The poor woman was gasping in pain and crying out with every move.

"Takasu-san," Yukiko said as she saw him enter the room, "she needs to get to the bathroom."

"Got it." without breaking his stride, Ryuuji swept up his teacher in a princess carry for a second time and headed for the suite's bathroom. Unlike the first time, she cried out in pain as the aching muscles in her stiff body were folded into his strong arms. "I'm sorry sensei," Ryuuji apologized for causing her pain, "I'll do something about the pain after you are done in the bathroom."

"Oh Takasu-kun, you really shouldn't be carrying me around like this." Yuri worried as her student got her to the bathroom.

"Are you kidding?" Ryuuji teased his sensei, "I'm starting to get used to this."

"Huh?" Yuri gulped.

"I wonder where I could carry you around at the school. The stairways might be a little dangerous..." he pondered as he set her down.

"Eh!" Yuri panicked as she thought of the commotion that would be caused if he ever did such a thing. "Ah!" she cried out in pain as he lowered her to stand on the cold tile floor of the bathroom. Fortunately, Yukiko was there to help, so he was able to step out after he got her safely to the toilet.

"Yamada-san," Ryuuji called to her as he quickly left the bathroom to the two women, "Please call me when she is finished in there. I'll be waiting just on the other side of the door."

"Yes, Takasu-san." Yukiko agreed as she set about helping the pain-wracked woman get out of her pajamas and struggle to get seated on the toilet.

"Oh, this is so embarrassing." Yuri blushed as Yukiko tended to her, then she begged, "Please, don't call him when I'm done. He is my student and I just can't..."

"Koigakubo-san, it may be inappropriate for a hotel manager to say this to her guest, but stop being an idiot and listen to me," Yukiko took Yuri's face in her hands and spoke quietly yet sternly to the high school teacher, "I don't know what is going through your mind but my eyes are open in this matter and it is clear to me. That young man loves you and reveres you as he does his own mother. Distance yourself from that affection at your own peril."

"What?" Yuri gasped in shock and blushed as Yukiko let go of her face.

"I have said all that I will say on the matter." Yukiko patted the stunned woman's shoulder in consolation and said, "Now, let's get you cleaned up before I call your knight to come get you."

* * *

Moments after Ryuuji had delivered Yuri to the bathroom, Yasuko came bounding back into the room, her face full of concern.

"Don't worry," Ryuuji stopped her, "Yamada-san is in there with her. She'll call me when sensei is ready to come out."

"Is there anything I can do?" Yasuko worried.

"Yeah," he told her, "Help Ami get ready to go to the studio, and let her know that I'll join her there as soon as I'm done here.

"Ryu-chan," Yasuko said with head lowered and shoulders slumped, "I'm sorry I broke your teacher."

"That's enough of that," Ryuuji mussed his mother's hair as he told her, "she isn't broken and you are doing exactly what I asked you to do."

"I am?" Yasuko couldn't believe that her son would want her to put Yuri-chan through so much pain.

"Yes," Ryuuji told her, "I asked you to break her down and build her up in only ten days. We all knew there would be pain. She did too. Believe me that this is something that she desperately wants but was afraid to ask for it herself."

"Should I go easier on her now?" Yasuko offered.

"No," Ryuuji shook his head, "I'll massage her knots out every morning and evening and we'll alter her diet. That should help." Ryuuji thought about other things that could help, "But to get her to where I need her to be in time, I need you to drive her as hard as you can. Will you do that for me? And for her?"

"I'll do my best!" Yasuko said with determination as she turned and left the room to help Ami get ready.

"Takasu-san," Yukiko's voice came from the suite's bathroom, "we are ready for you now."

Entering the bathroom, Ryuuji saw his sensei leaning heavily on Yukiko for support. Koigakubo-sensei looked more apologetic and less embarrassed when he came for her this time. Glancing at Yamada-san, Ryuuji could see her expression was blank except for a raised eyebrow. He suspected that was her signal that the two of them had a chat and he should let it go. At least, he hoped that was what it meant. Picking his sensei up in his arms, he noticed there was still pain, but there was no resistance this time – she even put her arms around his neck to hold on.

"Is there anything I can do?" Yukiko asked.

"Maybe," Ryuuji hadn't thought this far ahead and saw a problem, "Is there something in the living room that would be suitable for a massage table?" He blushed a little as he added, "I am reluctant to use the bed... with my teacher."

"Yes," Yukiko suppressed a smile, "We have a divan in the living room." She said as she quickly left to prepare it for them.

"Excellent." Ryuuji tried to sound confident as he wondered what a _divan_ was.

Arriving in the living room with his armload of sensei, he saw Yukiko pulling a couch out from the wall so that he could get at it from all sides. The couch had no back and only one arm. _So, this is a divan._ It would be perfect for what he needed. Yukiko had it ready for him by the time he made it there.

"Is there any massage oil?" he asked as he put his sensei down on the divan.

"In your bathroom is a bottle of cherry blossom massage oil." Yukiko moved to assist Yuri, "I will get Koigakubo-san ready while you get the oil."

"Yes," Ryuuji left for his bedroom in a trot, "Thank you very much, Yamada-san!"

"Don't thank me yet, young knight." Yukiko said quietly after he was out of earshot. A sly grin was on her face as she bent to prepare the teacher for her massage.

Returning with the massage oil a few minutes later, Ryuuji could see the pleased look on Yukiko's face as she stood next to the divan with a set of towels. Since she was laying face down on the divan Ryuuji couldn't see his sensei's furiously blushing face, but he could see that she had been stripped to the waist.

Yukiko's playful side wanted to tell him that she was waiting to see if he really knew what he was doing or was this just an elaborate scheme to feel up his teacher. She tried not to say anything of the sort, but the thought caused an interesting smirk to come to her lips. Only a moment after he had returned with the oil, Ami and Yasuko came out of the bedroom and took in the scene. Yukiko noticed that both of their faces brightened when they saw that Ryuuji was about to give the ailing teacher a back massage. Apparently they had both had the pleasure of this young man's massage skills at some point. Ami's expression darkened a little when she saw that Ryuuji would be massaging their sensei's bare back. Yukiko was trying to hide her own surprise. Chef, celebrity manager, masseuse, claiming to be a high school student and suspected of being something far more nefarious… _Who is this guy?_

Ryuuji blushed too and felt odd doing this if front of an audience but he suspecting that asking them for privacy might not be the best course either. Hearing his sensei whimper in pain, he put those thoughts aside and concentrated on what needed to be done. He warmed the oil in his hands and gently rubbed it into her skin to get her ready. Then he started to work her aching muscles. At first there were only grunts and cries of pain but in no time it seemed that her sounds had changed to moans and gasps of pleasure. Ryuuji knew that he was not even close to being finished yet when he felt Ami's hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"I have to go now or I'll be late," she told him, "so don't get too carried away with sensei and forget that you have a girlfriend!"

"Ami!" Ryuuji blushed.

"Kawashima-chan!" Yuri's blush came back.

"Aren't Ryu-chan's massages the best!" his mother cheered.

"I wouldn't know," Ami said with mock bitterness, "I've never had one like that."

"Oh you must, you simply must!" Yasuko turned to her son, "Ryu-chan, promise me you'll give Ami-chan an oil massage when you get back this evening!"

"Jeez..." Ryuuji blushed again. He was starting to get a headache from all this blushing.

"Promise me!" his mother was emphatic.

"I promise, I promise!" Ryuuji said and tried to get his concentration back to finding the knots in the muscles of his teachers back.

"I will walk you down to the taxi." Yukiko told Ami.

"It's only four blocks away." Ami dismissed the offer.

"Then I will walk you to the studio." Yukiko insisted.

* * *

Most of the walk to the studio was in silence as both Ami and Yukiko seemed to be in thought. A block before they arrived at the studio, Yukiko came to a decision.

"I have decided to take Takasu-san's offer if you are okay with it."

"Eh?" Ami wondered why she had to be okay with it.

"I admit that my hotel is far from ready to make it's debut, and considering it's checkered past, I can see why you might not want to be associated with it." Yukiko explained.

"Yes, it is a risk." Ami said after she considered Yukiko's words. "But Ryuuji believes in you and I believe in him. So it sounds like it's a risk worth taking."

"He believes in me?" Yukiko asked.

"Yeah," Ami recalled a comment he had made in passing, "he said he knows who you really are. I think he was trying to be philosophical or something." Yukiko stopped in her tracks. She tried to keep her reaction passive but her eyes were open a little wider than normal as she stared straight ahead.

 _What does he know?_ Her inner voice screamed.

"Yamada-san?" Ami wondered what she had seen and looked off in the direction of where Yukiko was staring.

"It is nothing," Yukiko recovered and gestured to the building entrance, "we are here." She smiled and waved to Ami as she went into the building. A moment later Yukiko was walking briskly back the way she came. She pulled out her cell phone and called the trusted employee she had left in the penthouse.

"Yamada-san?" her employee answered.

"Are you still in the penthouse?" Yukiko asked.

"Yes," he explained, "I was just putting away the dishes."

"Are they still there?" she panted with the pace she was walking.

"The ladies have left to do their morning exercise but the gentleman is waiting for you."

"That woman is able to walk now?" Yukiko was surprised.

"She's able to run now." the employee corrected.

"Wait… you said the gentleman is waiting for me?" Yukiko came to an abrupt stop.

"Yes," he added, "he said there is something he needs to talk to you about."

"I see," she felt her fears were confirmed, "please tell him I am on my way." After she hung up the phone she wondered, _Who is this guy?_

* * *

Yasuko and Yuri had run around the unfinished fifth floor for ten laps and Yuri noticed that her friend wasn't her usual bubbly self. She still offered encouragement but something just felt wrong.

"Onee-chan," Yuri asked as they entered the stairwell and started running up to the tenth floor, "is something wrong?"

"No." Yasuko answered too quickly.

"Tell me what's wrong," Yuri panted, "I can tell that you are sad about something and that is making me sad too."

"I'm okay, it's nothing..." Yasuko was cut off when the panting red head suddenly turned on her in the stairwell.

"It's not nothing!" Yuri shouted, "I promised to do my best but I can't if you're dragging around a suitcase full of sadness everywhere! Now tell me what's bothering you. Did I do something?"

"You didn't do anything," Yasuko's eyes watered up, "I did something to you. I hurt you. And it's not fair! I have to hurt you again and again and I don't want to! I want you to be my friend and I don't want you to hate me because I'm always hurting you!"

"Hey," Yuri took Yasuko's hands and looked into her eyes, "remember me, I went to college."

"Um, yeah?" Yasuko didn't understand where this was going.

"So I'm smart enough to know that you are not the one that made me unhealthy. I did that to myself."

"But..." Yasuko started to protest but Yuri used a move that Yasuko had used on her just the day before.

"No butts!" She said as she reached around both sides of the busty blond and grabbed Yasuko's tush. She had been ready to follow up that move with a lecture on uh… well a talk about… uh… her thoughts were becoming incoherent as she felt the very firm flesh in her grasping hands "Um… wow. Your tush is really firm."

"Yeah," Yasuko told the surprised woman, "that's what yours is going to be like if we can keep up this pace."

"Really?" Yuri's eyes opened wide and her whole face seemed to light up.

"Yeah." Yasuko was glad her friend was excited but she was still concerned about hurting her.

"YES!" Yuri hugged the buxom blond and told her, "Best pep talk EVER!"

"You're really okay with this pace?" Yasuko wanted to warn her friend that there would be more pain but it looked like she already knew.

"I will go through all kinds of pain for a tush like that!" Yuri declared.

"Okay then," Yasuko finally felt reassured that this was something that Yuri really wanted and wouldn't end up hating her for it, "let's go!"

Together they charged up the last flight of stairs and opened the door to the tenth floor to find four exercise machines that had been delivered there. Yuri wondered what new tortures had befallen her while Yasuko looked at them as if Christmas had come early. Seeing her friend was less than thrilled, Yasuko decided to tell her something to cheer her up.

"Yuri-chan," she smiled, "these machines are wonderful! They will help target the exercises so that we can get the results faster, and with less pain."

"Really?" Yuri asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Yasuko cheered with Yuri. Her boundless enthusiasm returned, she went about reading the brief instructions painted on the machines and helping Yuri into her workout.

* * *

Ryuuji was cleaned up, dressed, and ready to follow Ami to the Studio when Yukiko got back. Yukiko could see that and the responsible hotel manager part of her knew she should hurry him on his way and find a more convenient time to talk later. On the other hand, she desperately needed to know why he was really here.

"Ah, Yamada-san," Ryuuji made an exceptionally low bow to his host, "Thank you very much for all you have done for us this morning. I don't know what I would have done without your help."

"You're welcome," Yukiko added, "but something tells me you would have managed."

"Huh?" Ryuuji stood up and noticed that the employee was still in the kitchen using a dishtowel to wipe down a heavy Nakiri knife. Ryuuji suddenly found the atmosphere in the room to be quite tense.

"You said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?" Yukiko prompted. She was watching his every move and had not taken a seat. Ryuuji had the advantage in that he knew there must be a misunderstanding for them to be acting this tense, and he had nothing to hide. But, he needed to clear this up quickly – before his mother and teacher got back from their workout. He took a seat in a lounge chair and deliberately assumed a defenseless posture to put them at ease.

"I wanted to talk to you about the interview and the photo-shoot." Ryuuji said.

"I find that hard to believe." Yukiko responded acidly.

"I don't understand?" Ryuuji tried to look as innocent as possible, but he knew that with his face that would be a losing battle.

"There is an old saying,” Yukiko said, “ _keep your friends close and your enemies closer_. I knew you were up to something when you called to make reservations on a number that hasn't even been published yet. Now this morning your girlfriend lets it slip that you know who I really am, when that is a closely guarded secret."

"Hmpf," Ryuuji chuckled, "I see your old saying and I raise you two: _do your own research_ and _pay it forward_."

"What?" it was Yukiko's turn to be confused.

"I found out about the Yamada family interest in this hotel, it's history, it's current state of reconstruction, and that one of the five sisters of the Yamada family herself was running the project. I also discovered that the Yamada sister is you, and I got the unregistered phone number. And I got all of this from an Internet connection and a computer in a high school library."

"Impossible!" Yukiko said in disbelief.

"Not impossible," Ryuuji pointed back into his room, "I have the print-outs of my searches in my luggage, if you want to look at them. To be honest, finding the information wasn't even difficult."

"So, you're not part of one of the other factions?" Yukiko pressed.

"Factions?" Ryuuji drew a blank on this question, "Sorry but none of my research turned up anything about factions."

"Each of the sisters was given a project." Yukiko explained, "only the sister's that are able to show a successful venture will be considered for the family leadership position. Two of my sister's have already met with failure and they tell me they were sabotaged. I am beginning to believe that some of the setbacks that we have had here were also due to sabotage."

"Wow..." Ryuuji looked down, "so here I come with this evil face and act like I'm trying to do you a favor. I understand how you would jump to that conclusion. Most everyone I have ever met thought I was a delinquent. I'm actually a good student. I have a full scholarship to three different universities."

"Then… if I believe you," Yukiko asked with a fair amount of skepticism, "what is it that you're after?"

"That would be the _paying it forward_ part." Ryuuji was ready to give up. His face had ruined another good thing. "Look… never-mind okay. When Yasuko and sensei get back we'll pack our stuff and get out of your hair. I'm sorry that we caused you so much trouble." He started to get up from the lounger when he noticed that she sat down in the chair across from him.

Yukiko recalled Ami’s other comment from earlier, ‘ _Ryuuji believes in you and I believe in him. So it sounds like it's a risk worth taking._ ’ Ryuuji certainly seemed to be a reliable sort from everything Yukiko had observed, once you got past the face that looked like it belonged on a heartless assassin. If he was telling the truth now… if she had been wrong about him from the beginning… was he really trying to help her now? If so, what was his angle? What was he going do demand for this ‘help’ that he was offering? After observing Yasuko and Yuri, she knew she liked them and felt like she could trust them. She could see that they trusted Ryuuji. More than that, they believed in him. Yukiko had to ask herself if she could believe in Ryuuji. _Could this be a risk worth taking?_

"I believe I have made a terrible mistake, Takasu-sama." Yukiko asked, "Please tell me about the _paying it forward_ part."

"Do you know who Kawashima Anna is?" Ryuuji began running her through his plan. He knew that it was in tatters because of his sinister face, but she had asked politely.

"Yes." Yukiko answered. Even without having looked anything up, she knew that the actress Kawashima Anna was Ami’s mother. Yukiko almost smiled as she wondered if the Kawashima matriarch knew that her little girl was smitten with this guy.

"Kawashima Ami is her daughter, so you know that she has potential to be a star." Ryuuji explained, "I'm just a regular high school kid trying the best that I can to repay a debt... Some day soon, she is going to need more than that. She is going to need friends that can play at the celebrity level. That’s something I cannot do. She will need a real manager then… and I will be out of her life."

"So, you want us to be friends?" Yukiko said incredulously.

"I want you to be successful friends." Ryuuji corrected, "A hotel heiress friends with a movie star. What's so strange about that?"

"You have a point." Yukiko admitted, "I just see one little flaw with your plan, and it has to do with you being a complete idiot."

"What is it with girls calling me an idiot?" Ryuuji cried out.

"That happens a lot, does it?" Yukiko asked.

"Yeah," he thought of how many times it happened last year, "you might say that."

"Always from girls?" Yukiko pushed.

"Pretty much." Ryuuji answered.

"Sounds like a mental blind spot," Yukiko decided, "you should have that looked at professionally… and soon."

"Arrrgh!" Ryuuji felt like his brain had just lost a boxing match, "So what is this little flaw anyway?"

"Simply put," Yukiko told him, "anyone that isn't a complete idiot can see that Kawashima Ami is madly in love with you.

"No," Ryuuji objected, "she is an actress and that is an act that we worked out before we ever arrived here."

"No," Yukiko objected to his objection, "I have worked with models and actresses and I can tell the difference.

"But..." Ryuuji was cut short as Yukiko stood up.

"I am going to accept what you told me about yourself is true." Yukiko told him as if she were lecturing an errant child, "I am willing to have the interview and photo-shoot in the hotel, and I am willing to be Kawashima Ami's friend. But if you don't pull your head out of your ass soon and accept that girl's feelings, you are going to seriously piss me off." With that, she stormed out of the room and left the penthouse.

"I must apologize for my boss," the employee that had been in the kitchen bowed, "she can become somewhat crass when she is very angry."

"It's nothing..." Ryuuji was dazed with what just happened, "apparently, I'm an idiot."

"Yes," the employee gave the withered response and also left the penthouse.

* * *

Ami was starting to get upset. Ryuuji was supposed to be right along after he got sensei fixed up and it was almost lunch time now. Upset warred with worry though and she was concerned that sensei's pain may have been something that Ryuuji couldn't fix. She was getting hungry but the craft services tables were already looking picked over and weren't that appetizing to begin with – admittedly, she had become spoiled by Ryuuji’s bento’s. She couldn't eat at a restaurant since she left her purse at the hotel. She was about to head back to the hotel when she finally got a text message from Ryuuji. He was waiting for her in the hallway on the main floor.

Not wanting to wait for an elevator, she ran down the six flights of stairs to see him. On the way down the stairs she was still bouncing between concerned and angry but she started to worry about Ryuuji himself. Maybe he was getting tired of waiting for her all the time. Maybe he was bored with… with her. After all, Ami knew that she was a difficult person to like.

She threw the stairwell door open to the main floor and didn't see him at first. Her worried mind imagined him getting bored and just walking away from her… forever. _No! Ryuuji isn't like that! Even if he doesn't love me, he would never do that… unless his depression relapsed. I have to find him!_

"Ami," his voice called out to her. He was half way down the hallway and the light streaming in the main entrance behind him had put him in silhouette, but she could see him now. She ran to him even as he walked to her.

"Ryuuji," she could see that he was carrying bento boxes with him and somehow knew that these were special hand made bento boxes by Ryuuji himself, and he had come all the way here to bring her one. For a moment, she wanted to throw herself into his arms. She wanted to hug him and tell him how glad she was to see him, how happy it made her that he had come to the studio to be with her… but she stopped herself. Something like that – out of the blue – would freak him out or scare him off or both. Instead she asked, "How is sensei, is she okay?"

"Oh, she's fine." Ryuuji realized he owed her an explanation, "I met with Yamada-san and she has agreed to allow the interview and photo-shoot in the hotel."

"Oh?" she took the bento box that Ryuuji handed her. For some reason he looked a little more shaken up than that kind of meeting should have made him.

"I think you should become friends with her." Ryuuji said as he took a seat next to her.

"You want me to become friends with a hotel clerk?"

"Why not," Ryuuji seemed defensive, "you're friends with me and I'm just an average high school student?"

"You are above average, I've known you for over a year, and I plan to know you for longer than that." Ami challenged his argument and added, "We just met her and we'll be leaving next week. Ryuuji, what's going on here?"

"She is not just a clerk." Ryuuji told her, "she is Yukiko of the Yamada family that owns restaurants and hotels all over the world. She may become the family heiress."

"Did she ask you to do this so she could become friends with a celebrity?" Ami had to ask. That kind of thing was not unheard of, after all.

"No," Ryuuji looked down as he admitted, "I asked her to be your friend too."

"What?" Ami was shocked, "Why?"

"Ami," Ryuuji lifted the mirror-shades to rest on the top of his head so he and Ami could look into each other's eyes, "someday… someday soon I think, you are going to be a star. And when that happens, you are going to need a celebrity manager and you are going to need celebrity friends."

"Ryuuji… if feels like you are breaking up with me." her face didn't change expression but Ryuuji could see tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey, stop that!" Ryuuji chastised her, "You'll ruin the makeup. And listen up, I will never break up with you." He pulled her into a hug so she could hide her tears in his chest.

_Th-thump!_

"Really?" the hope in Ami's voice was apparent even to Ryuuji the idiot.

"Yeah," he realized that Yukiko was probably right, "if you want me gone, you're going to have to be the one to cut me loose."

"Not happening!" Ami declared. Then the nagging doubts demanded that she ask, "This is for real, right? We're not talking about pretend stuff any more, right?"

"Yeah," Ryuuji stroked his hand through her long blue hair and told her softly, "this is for real."

"How long..." Ami's voice caught, "How long have you known that I loved you?"

"About three hours." he answered honestly.

"Huh?" Ami was at the studio, and Ryuuji was back at the hotel at that time, "What happened three hours ago?"

"Yukiko told me that I was an idiot for not noticing and that if I didn't do the right thing, she would be… upset with me." he summarized the conversation for Ami.

"Yukiko huh?" Ami leaned back, smiled, and looked into Ryuuji's eyes again, "Did I mention that Yukiko and I are going to be great friends?"


	11. A Reunion

**Thursday morning, July 23 – Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

"I think I want to be a high school teacher when I grow up." Yukiko said as she sipped her coffee. This comment generated several giggles from the people in the living room of the penthouse. Yuri was once again laying on the divan and Ryuuji was massaging out the stiffness in her back and shoulders. Yasuko, Ami, and Yukiko were watching the handsome young man oil and massage his half dressed teacher as if it were a normal thing. Well, for the time being, it was a normal thing. This was his fifth massage to help Yuri survive the exercise regimen that Yasuko was putting her through. Judging from the moans coming from the divan, it was helping a lot.

"It's not always like this, you know." Yuri tried to protest.

"It can be," Ami teased, "maybe Ryuuji should start giving you a massage every day at lunch… across the teachers desk perhaps?"

"AMI!" Yuri blushed furiously, "Don't even joke about that!" Her demand was lost in the room full of laughter.

"I will have an actual massage table in the room by the time you return this evening." Yukiko told Ryuuji and Ami.

Yuri wondered if that might change her situation at all. From the very first time that she was prepared for Ryuuji to massage her, Yamada-san made sure that she was stripped to the waist. It was true that she was already lying face down on the divan when he came in and a robe was placed over her when she got up, so she never revealed her chest to Ryuuji, but she still felt awful for needing her student to touch her bare skin like that. Initially, she had tried to protest. She even begged to be able to wear her brassiere or a swim suit top, but Yamada-san would not allow it. Yamada-san had her own ideas of etiquette and ethics. According to Yamada-san, his skills as a masseuse were quite good, so she had insisted that Yuri allow him to give her a massage as a professional since he was giving her that level of service. And to Yamada-san's way of thinking, to insist on wearing a top during her massage would be a slap in the face to Ryuuji. It would be as direct an insult as telling him that he was a pervert and she did not trust him.

In fact, Yuri did trust him. Yuri's concern was that she didn't know if she could trust herself. Each time he massaged her pain away, she felt more comfortable letting him touch her. Each time Yamada-san arrived to prepare Yuri for her massage, she was a little more excited, a little more willing, a little less anxious. She didn't feel like she was falling for Ryuuji… yet. But, oh gods would it be nice to find a man like him that was closer to her age! Tall and strong, caring and thoughtful, smart and able to make her pain go away with a touch of his hands. Yuri moaned as Ryuuji's fingers continued to rub away the pain and she daydreamed about an older version of that wonderful boy. She peripherally heard some of the talk the rest of them were having, but it was so hard to concentrate when he was making her feel so good.

The conversation covered their plans for the day and for the rest of the week. It turned out not to be a very complex schedule. Until they got to the shooting break on Sunday, everyone was keeping to the same activities. Ami and Ryuuji would continue going to the studio every day and return around the same time. Yuri and Yasuko would be exercising and mostly keeping to the hotel. Of course, Yuri groaned when she resignedly acknowledged her schedule. Everyone gave a good natured laugh at her expense but praised her for having the willpower to keep up with Yasuko.

After they finished breakfast, Yasuko and Yuri went up to the rooftop garden to rest for a bit before they started on their second exercise run of the day. Ryuuji was in the kitchen with one of the hotel employees cleaning up the dishes. Under the apron, he was dressed for his role as Ami's manager and ready to leave when she was. He had just put the last plate away and checked the time to make sure they wouldn't be late when Yukiko and Ami showed up.

"All right, spill." Ami told Ryuuji.

"Eh?" Ryuuji tried to sound innocent.

"We both noticed you acting cagey when we were talking about what we have planned for the rest of the week." Yukiko said, "You're up to something. And don't say its just your face! We can both tell the difference."

"Okay," Ryuuji knew he was caught and gave them both a lopsided grin, "what gave me away?"

"The way your eyes darted. And, you were a little too quick to laugh." Ami said.

"And the fact that you packed three bento boxes today." Yukiko added.

"Four." Ryuuji corrected her as he started walking toward the service elevator.

"Four?" both Yukiko and Ami asked.

"You're not going to go all nuts with rage if you find out I'm being nice to some of the other models, are you?" Ryuuji asked Ami while pressing the elevator call button.

"How nice?" Ami pouted for a moment. But when the elevator doors opened, she stepped through and laughed, "No I won't be all jealous! I don't have self confidence issues like… some people." Ami tried to hide the gaffe that she almost blurted Taiga's name out. Ryuuji didn't seem to notice, but Yukiko's eyes narrowed a bit when she detected the brief pause.

"Just-friends nice," Ryuuji reassured Ami while the elevator dropped toward the ground floor.

"Oh?" Ami used a mock-sympathy voice and asked Ryuuji, "Is poor Ryuuji getting all lonely while I'm in the closed shoot sessions?" The elevator doors opened and they all stepped out into the service foyer before Ryuuji replied.

"… Yes." Ryuuji was going to give a different answer but she just handed him an excuse that would require no further explanation… or argument. Ami was walking behind Ryuuji with Yukiko, so she couldn't see that the expression on his face was not one of pain, but of relief.

"Oh!" Ami blushed as she realized her error. She had just poked fun at him for something that deserved her most sincere thanks. Of course he was lonely. When she was involved in a closed shoot, he could be waiting for her for several hours. Waiting out in the hallways of an unfamiliar building with nothing to do and no-one to talk to. For her. Ami blushed but could say nothing.

"As long as it's just that," Yukiko seemed satisfied, "after all, I don't need the debut of my hotel to be in the midst of a nasty lovers quarrel." Her lighthearted comment made both Ami and Ryuuji blush.

"We're off!" the two turned and headed toward the studio still blushing.

Ryuuji was thinking about his plan when he noticed that Ami was not in front or even beside him as they walked. Looking about, he saw that she was several steps behind him. Her head was lowered and her shoulders slightly slumped. He turned around and stopped in front of her.

Ami was concerned. She knew this modeling gig would be a grind for her but she didn't really think about how boring it would be for Ryuuji. When she decided to include Ryuuji and Yasuko on this trip, it was mostly so she could keep an eye on Ryuuji and make sure he didn't slip back into depression. She never imagined that he would recover enough to actually be useful. And truly, she didn't have a plan for what to do with the two of them when she was working. So far, she had counted on Ryuuji to come up with things to keep his mom and now even their sensei busy, but she had not considered the boredom that he must be facing while he patiently waited for her. The guilt was hardening like a knot in her soul. Again, she thought of herself but couldn't be bothered to think of someone else. Not even someone she… loved. Trying not to cry, she closed her eyes and walked right into him. She stumbled back and would have fallen if he had not grasped her by the shoulders to steady her. Opening her eyes and looking up to his face, she saw his goofy lopsided grin as he looked back at her.

"Hey," he knocked lightly on her head with his knuckles, "what's going on in there?"

"I'm okay..." she started to say but the look that he gave her smacked of total disbelief, "...okay… I was worried that you are getting bored with me." She looked away to try and hide the blush she felt coming on.

"Bored with you?" Ryuuji laughed and, taking her chin in his big hand, turned her face to look at him, "I don't think it's possible to be around you and be bored at the same time."

"What?" Ami would have taken that comment as some kind of sarcasm or fake compliment if it had come from anyone else. But Ryuuji said it… and Ryuuji doesn't play around with other peoples feelings like… other people do… like she does.

"You make everything more interesting. More exciting." Ryuuji bit his lip and admitted, "Honestly, I'm worried about being too boring for you."

"Kawashima Ami?" a woman's voice said from behind her, "Is this man bothering you?"

"No no!" Ami spun around to see one of the studio assistants holding a clipboard and looking nervous. No, nervous wasn't the word. She looked scared to death. "He's my boyfriend… and my manager."

Ryuuji saw the woman's reaction too and remembered that he had not put on his mirror shades yet. While Ami was explaining the situation, he retrieved the wayfarers and put them on. He also took the identification badge out and put that on as well. By the time he was ready for introductions, the woman had already taken Ami by the hand and was running into the building with her. He was about to chase after them when Ami yelled back to him.

"The shoot is starting early! I'll meet you in the lobby at noon!" Ami disappeared through the revolving doors.

 _Another closed shoot._ Ryuuji sighed. He looked at his watch and realized he had plenty of time to put his own plan into action...

.

**Thursday morning, July 23 – Studio Café**

* * *

Over the past several days, Ryuuji had found plenty of time to do some people watching. Yukiko's' gift of the mirror-shades helped out tremendously with that. He could sit in a corner of the lobby, the café, or any of the other common areas and observe people without anyone knowing they were the one being observed. And, although his face made many people uncomfortable, if he didn't do anything to draw attention to himself, most of the time no-one even knew he was there.

He wasn't trying to watch everyone though. There were four models that he was interested in. They were four of the models that had not reacted well to seeing Ami trying to restart her career. Two of the models were already marked off his list. One had a very busy shoot schedule and simply wouldn't be available to observe. The other would only be involved in this event for the first two days, then she would be leaving for an international event in a place called Cardiff Castle. Ryuuji couldn't figure out why that name seemed familiar and yet didn't sound like the names of any of the castles in the main of Japan. He wondered if it was something in Okinawa?

With those two off the list, he was able to concentrate on the two remaining models and discovered that they were both struggling with their careers. At this event, where every model seemed to be busy most of every day, these two seemed to have quite a bit of free time every day. While watching them, he remembered the stalker that had scared Ami and he hoped that he wouldn't be causing them any trouble, but there were things he had to find out. For Ami's sake, he had to know.

Looking at the circled name on his small notepad, he knew she would be arriving soon to have her morning coffee at the café on the building's first floor. It didn't take long to get there after seeing Ami off and Ryuuji didn't have long to wait. He had just bought two coffee's and sat down at a table with a good view of the entrance when she came in. Standing a little taller than Ami, she had purple eyes and long black hair in a ponytail that ran down her back. As she walked into the café, he called out to her.

"Kurosawa Hisako," Ryuuji stood and pulled out a chair for her, "Please join me for coffee and breakfast."

"I don't know you." she said simply. Ryuuji was impressed that she didn't seem to be afraid of him, then again… she was a model so…

"We were introduced the other day." Ryuuji opened the bento with the breakfast he had prepared and offered it to her, "Takasu Ryuuji. I am the manager of… another model."

"Are you trying to recruit me?" She tried to sound indifferent, but Ryuuji could see the interest in the breakfast he was offering."

"No." Ryuuji thought about it, "well, yes. But not as a model. I need your help with something."

"I'll bet." she said dismissively. She was about to walk away but the lure of the breakfast was too much. Sitting down and reaching for the breakfast box she said, "Give me that. I'll hear you out but no promises."

"Thank you." Ryuuji passed her some chopsticks and took his own seat. He gave her a chance to try a few of the items in the box before speaking. "I am new to this business and I don't know who to trust."

"Hmpf," Hisako snorted, "that's easy. Don't trust anyone."

"That doesn't work for me." Ryuuji told her, "I'm pretty sure I can trust you."

"Only if you're an idiot." she jeered, "No-one trusts me."

"You're not the first person to call me an idiot, so I think I'll take my chances with you." Ryuuji tried humor to throw her off her bad mood.

"What makes you think that you can trust me?" she laughed at his gullibility.

"The other day when I was being introduced around, I noticed that there were people that smiled and acted all friendly but I could tell they made… my client nervous. Then there were people that didn't hide their feelings." Ryuuji said.

"I was one of those?" Hisako asked.

"Yes." Ryuuji answered.

"So, your client is someone I don't like..." Hisako frowned, "unfortunately, that doesn't narrow it down much for me." She was about to demand that he tell her who his client was when he spoke.

"Kawashima Ami." Ryuuji said. He watched her eyes open wide in fear.

"No!" She stopped eating and looked down at the remaining food, "Is this food poisoned?"

"What?" Ryuuji was shocked that she would even suggest that, "No, of course not!"

"Is this revenge?" she looked up at Ryuuji with a paled expression, "are you going to beat me up?"

"WHAT?" Ryuuji had gone from shocked to stunned.

"Wait..." Hisako seemed surprised too, "You really don't know who I am? Kawashima-san hasn't told you about me"

"No," Ryuuji tried to keep everything calm, "like I said, I'm new at this."

"Maybe she hasn't known you long enough." Hisako suggested.

"I've known her over a year." Ryuuji rebutted.

"Maybe she doesn't know you well enough?" Hisako asked.

"I'm her boyfriend." he answered.

"WHAT?" Hisako seemed shocked at this statement.

"No, it's true." Ryuuji assured her, "I know it's hard to believe that she would be going out with a face like this..."

"It's not that. I think you're quite handsome." Hisako blushed when she realized what she had just said, "I just thought that Kawashima wasn't into guys..."

"WHAT?" Ryuuji was starting to wonder if they were talking about the same person.

"I mean… she teased them and flirted with them, but she was never interested in..." Her voice faded out and it looked like she was figuring something out. "Boyfriend… Then this is revenge?" She looked positively terrified as she asked, "What are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Ryuuji dropped his head into his hands and told her, "Look, I know Ami used to be pretty abrasive but I never thought she would do something that would make someone this scared of her."

"What?" Hisako almost choked, "You really don't know who I am do you?"

"No." Ryuuji was about to tell her not to bother. It didn't look like this was anything that he could fix after all.

"Kawashima-san didn't do anything to me. I did something to her." Her words made Ryuuji look up from his hands at the same time that Hisako looked down at the table, "I'm the reason she dropped out of modeling."

"Um..." Ryuuji was about to tell her that she was mistaken, but he wanted to make sure he understood everything first, "I haven't heard this story. Could you tell me what this is about?"

"I guess it's cause you're new… Everyone in the industry knows. That's why no-one trusts me." she was still looking down, but it looked like she wasn't as frightened as she had been. "And, no-one likes me." Ryuuji reached across the table and gently took her left hand. She looked up in shock but he appeared sincere and not dangerous at all.

"Tell me." he asked of her.

"Kawashima-san and I were competing for this really important shoot. I knew she was going to get the job so I showed up early on the day of the shoot and told them she wasn't coming. I got the job but she never worked again." Looking back down at the table, Hisako finished, "She just disappeared with some stupid story about getting serious with high school classes."

"People don't actually believe that, do they?" Ryuuji couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Of course not!" Hisako completely misunderstood Ryuuji's question and told him, "Who is going to believe that the daughter of a star is going to give up on a promising career to go to high school?"

"No, that's not what I mean." Ryuuji explained, "People actually think she gave up on modeling because you tricked her out of a job?"

"Well… yeah." Hisako looked back up at Ryuuji and blinked, "It's the truth."

"No, it's not." Ryuuji grinned as he realized that maybe he could fix this. Unfortunately, his smile could be a bit unnerving, so Hisako was a little shaken by his predatory look when he smiled and said, "It couldn't be further from the truth."

"Yes it is!" Hisako said defiantly, "That's why nobody trusts me! That's why everyone hates me!"

"Stop it!" Ryuuji said sternly to get the panicking girl's attention, "Listen to what I am telling you and you will know."

"Um… okay." Hisako was still somewhat frightened but Ryuuji's order seemed to have more concern than malevolence in it. She wanted to run, but at the same time she wanted to listen to what he had to say. Besides… he was still holding her hand.

"I am a high school student." Ryuuji could see that she didn't believe him so he pulled out his wallet and showed her his student ID.

Her eyes went wide as she compared the picture and the face.

"Kawashima Ami has been a student with me for over a year." Ryuuji told her, "She left modeling to get away from a stalker."

"No," Hisako shook her head, "that was just a rumor..."

"It's true." Ryuuji confirmed, "I saw him. I watched Ami finally get so upset with him that she conquered her fear and confronted him."

"What..." Hisako was stunned, "what did she do to him?"

"She didn't do that much to him," Ryuuji smiled as he recalled the fond memory, "but she broke his camera into about a thousand pieces."

"Then it wasn't me… I didn't..." Hisako stuttered as she felt over a year of repressed guilt and self-loathing about to wash away in a rain of tears. Ryuuji could see that she was about to cry and he moved quickly to the chair next to hers.

"Hey," he told her, "you had nothing to do with her leaving the modeling scene for a while." He wiped away some tears from her cheeks with a napkin. Then he told her, "You did lie about her to get that job, but I'm pretty sure she would forgive you for that."

 _Good going Ryuuji._ He told himself, _You made a girl cry again._

.

Ami finished the shoot a little early and headed down to the lobby. Ryuuji's reply to her text said that he was waiting for her on the red couches. There was a section of the lobby where there were a bunch of long red fabric covered couches in a maze. Many of the models and staff would grab a quick nap there on some of the longer shoots. It wasn't strange that he would be there but it did make her wonder again if he was getting bored. When Ami got to the red couch maze, she saw Ryuuji sitting on the couch with a black haired girl lying down with her head in his lap. His hand was on her head and it looked like he was comforting her while she slept.

Now she wished he was bored. She was starting to get upset when she remembered the conversation from this morning. Suddenly, this became a test for her. She had to prove that she wasn't the type to lurch into rage and stupid assumptions. She had to trust Ryuuji that he knew what he was doing.

 _I can do this._ She cheered to herself.

 _No problem._ Her inner voice said.

 _Damn this is hard._ She admitted.

"Hey Ryuuji," she was surprised that she had as much control of her voice as she did, "You want to eat lunch here?"

"If you don't mind?" Ryuuji asked innocently and said, "I am a little stuck at the moment."

"I can see that," bending over to get a better view of the black haired sleeping beauty whose head was on her boyfriends lap, she asked, "Kurosawa Hisako, isn't it?"

"Yes," Ryuuji reminded her, "you introduced us the other day."

"She doesn't like me." Ami stated as she stood back up.

"That was all a misunderstanding." Ryuuji dismissed, "it's true that she needs to apologize to you about something she feels terribly guilty about, but I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"I don't like her." Ami tested the words.

"Yes you do." Ryuuji said with cheer, if not with a smile.

"I do?" Ami replied in a faux-surprise voice.

"Yes," Ryuuji said with certainty, "and you will accept her apology and forgive her. After she thanks you for your forgiveness, you will invite her to dinner tonight, at the hotel."

"I will?" the faux-surprise voice was gone and this sounded more like a challenge.

"Yes." Ryuuji looked at Ami expectantly. Ami pursed her lips and set her jaw as she rolled all this over in her mind.

"And why would I do this?" she asked.

"Because that is the kind of wonderful, loving, and caring person that I believe the real Kawashima Ami is."

"Um..." Ami opened her mouth to protest but Ryuuji wasn't finished.

"She wasn't always like this, but that's how I see her now." Ryuuji looked into Ami's eyes and blushed a bit as he said, "I'm pretty sure that's why I fell in love with her."

Ami's mouth snapped shut. She turned around and sat down on the couch next to Ryuuji – on the other side of him from Hisako. Arms folded and pouting, it took her a few minutes before she was able to reply.

"You don't play fair." Ami quietly complained.

"I learned from the best." Ryuuji chuckled.

"Yeah," Ami grinned, "I keep forgetting that you're smarter than you look."

"Ouch," Ryuuji faked a wounding blow from her then grinned as he asked her, "This is killing you isn't it?"

"Yes!" Ami said through clenched teeth and an obviously faked smile. Quietly, she added, "I'm really not sure what I should do. I mean… O know I said I'm not the jealous type, but that's when I thought you might be having an innocent chat with someone I might actually like..."

"Ami, do you trust me?" Ryuuji asked her.

"Yes." Ami's answer came to her lips so quickly because she did trust him. She trusted him so deeply, so thoroughly it scared her. She had never trusted anyone like this before. At an early age she had learned that everyone had agendas and motives for every act of kindness and friendship. Everyone she had ever known had been like that… except a precious few. And Ryuuji was one of them.

"Good," Ryuuji said in almost a whisper, "lots of people are watching us now. Think of this as an acting audition. Your part right now is to be the caring girlfriend that sees nothing wrong with this. She hasn't a care in the world because she knows with absolute certainty that not only would her boyfriend never do anything to hurt her, he would only ever be looking out for her best interests even if she caught him in the most questionable circumstances."

"This role..." Ami smirked, "she sounds like an idiot."

"Oh no," Ryuuji corrected, "she is intelligent and beautiful. She doesn't go around trusting everyone like this. She is very selective."

"Is he worthy of this trust?" Ami asked with raised eyebrow.

"If he wasn't," Ryuuji riposted, "that would make her an idiot, wouldn't it?"

"So," Ami's demeanor instantly changed to a care free girl sitting next to her boyfriend without a worry on the horizon, "what's for lunch?"

Ryuuji was amazed. She was perfect. He knew she was struggling with this but she played her part flawlessly. She didn't go over the top and she didn't slip up even after Hisako woke up and started her own panicking. Ryuuji's role was done now and he played the background character as he watched the events unfold.

Hisako apologized.

Ami accepted graciously.

Hisako looked relieved and desperately wanted to catch up with Ami, but it was time for her shoot and she had to run.

Ami invited her to dinner and promised to catch up then.

A stunned, happy, and grateful Hisako accepted the invitation, then ran off to to her shoot.

After Hisako left, Ami turned to Ryuuji and smiled again.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." she said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Ryuuji asked.

"One thing I learned from you…" Ami caught herself from saying _and Taiga,_ before she continued, "last year. It's better to be me. The fake me is just… depressing."  
"So," Ryuuji suggested, "make it real."

"Huh?" Ami didn't understand the suggestion.

"You just acted like you forgave her and that you could be friends." He suggested, "Why not try it out for real?"

"You mean," Ami said dubiously, "really forgive her and actually try to be friends with someone that has hated me for a year and has publicly badmouthed me?"

"Yes," Ryuuji said simply.

"I don't know if I can do that." Ami said honestly.

"Why not," Ryuuji offered, "I did."

"When did you ever..." Ami started to ask but realized the answer. She thought of how many friends he now had. And so many others that may not be his friends but respected him now. But not too long ago they all thought he was a delinquent. They thought he was violent. They were as guilty of spreading the rumors as they were of believing them. Ryuuji forgave them all. "All right, I'll give it a shot." She said noncommittally, "Who knows, this might be fun."

.

**Thursday afternoon, July 23 – Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

"Koigakubo-san," Yukiko called out to the teacher as she was climbing into the hot tub, "I believe you are moving much better now."

"I am," Yuri said delightedly, "and I think it's all thanks to this wonderful hot bath!"

"And the exercise machines you set up for us!" Yasuko gushed, "They are wonderful! We are able to get more done with less pain."

"Thank you for those complements, but let's not forget Takasu-sama's hands." Yukiko chimed in, "From the results I have seen, his massage must be all but magical."

"Oh no," Yasuko giggled, "it is quite magical."

"I was thinking that if I'm doing this well, I shouldn't need Takasu-kun to..." Yuri noticed that Yukiko was glaring at her. She turned to Yasuko for support but her onee-chan was glaring at her too. She sank a little lower into the hot water and said, "Um… never mind. I'll be quiet now."

"Oh yes," Yukiko said to both of them, "I came to tell you that you will be having a guest for dinner tonight. Apparently Kawashima-san is inviting one of her model colleagues to join her this evening."

"Oh how fun!" Yasuko cheered, "You will be joining us too won't you, Yukiko-san?"

"I don't think that would be..." Yukiko tried to protest but Yasuko insisted.

"You simply must!" Yasuko said, "You're going to be Ami-chan's friend, right? Well if she is having her friends for dinner, you should be there too!"

"Well, when you put it like that, I suppose I must." Yukiko smiled as she gave in to the energetic blond. She knew she had a hard time saying no to that woman. Her simple loyalty and devotion to her son and her friends was something to be cherished. On that day when Ryuuji had asked her to be a friend to someone in his group, she would have picked Yasuko if it had been up to her.

"Onee-san," Yuri could see the melancholy wistfulness in the young hotel manager's eyes, "wasn't there something else you wanted to ask Yamada-san?"

"Huh?" Yasuko looked confused for a moment but lit up like a light bulb when she remembered. She stepped up out of the bath next to Yukiko and took her hands, "Would you like to start working out with us?"

"What?" Yukiko was shocked at this request. Were they suggesting this because she was starting to look fat? She asked, "Why?"

"Because silly," Yasuko laughed her infectious laugh, "That's what friends do!"

"Friends?" Yukiko's eyes opened wide with disbelief and happiness.

"Oh yeah," Yuri had an idea, "You should come on the shopping trip with us next Thursday too!"

"And the sightseeing trip on Sunday!" Yasuko added.

"Onee-chan," Yuri chided, "she lives in Tokyo. Sightseeing here would be boring to her."

"No," Yukiko said excitedly, "no it wouldn't! I would love to join you!"

"Yay!" Yasuko cheered and hugged the surprised manager.

"Um… just out of curiosity though," Yukiko asked, "will I have to call you onee-chan?"

"Nobody has to call her that." Yuri said, "Ami-chan and I do it because it makes us feel good."

"And it makes me feel good," Yasuko added, "my little sisters are so cute!"

"I see," Yukiko bit her lip and told them, "it's just that I do have two older sisters and… they have never been nice to me."

"Well..." Yasuko looked into Yukiko's ice blue eyes, "you can call me Yasuko, or Takasu-chan, or whatever you like. But if you want to call me onee-chan, you can count on me to be the big sister that is never mean to you."

"Except when she is making you work out." Yuri mumbled.

"HEY!" Yasuko yelled.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Yuri laughed.

"I've always wanted an onee-chan that would be nice to me." Yukiko's eyes were damp as she contrasted her adversarial and ruthlessly competitive family with this one. She hugged Yasuko back and felt Yuri hug her too.

"Welcome to the family, Yuki-chan." Yasuko said as she patted the dark brown hair of her new friend.


	12. Slap Happy

**Friday morning, July 24 – Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

"Ryuuji, are you awake?" Ami said quietly. The blankets were up to her neck and her head was resting on his chest as she lay cuddled up to his warm body. Her head moved with the rise and fall of his deep breathing and she could hear his heart beating when it was quiet. It was a wonderful sound that she wouldn't mind listening to for hours on end, but she knew this would be another busy day and they would both have to get up soon. Her eyes teared up worrying about Ryuuji. Did he really love her? Was he getting bored being with her? Did it annoy him when she cuddled up to him every night? She knew she was getting too clingy. In this bed that was large enough to have its own postal code, she couldn't sleep if she wasn't touching him. Was he tiring of her yet? If not, how much longer did she have? How long before he had enough and would tell her to back off?

"Yeah," Ryuuji answered the asked question, then fortuitously answered all the unasked questions, "I've been awake for a while but with you cuddled up to me like this, I feel like I could stay this way for the rest of my life." He blushed when he said it, but he also held her a little tighter. Just as Ami couldn't see his blush from where her head rested on his chest, he could not see her eyes open wide and the tears rolling down her face. And her smile. Her very happy smile.

"Um..." Ami could feel that she was getting his nice silky pajamas wet with her tears, "you need to not say things like that at the studio."

"Oh?" Ryuuji wondered if he had gone too far, "I guess that was pretty embarrassing."

"No," she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her own pajamas, "it's just that… big blotchy red eyes don't look good on the camera… even if they came from tears of joy."

"Great," Ryuuji chided himself, "I made a girl cry again."

"Tears of joy, baka!" Ami's small fist smacked Ryuuji's chest twice before he caught her hand and held it. She didn't struggle. Having Ryuuji hold her hand was better than hitting him.

"Okay, okay..." Ryuuji smiled as she relaxed, but he didn't let go of her hand. I just hope that you're well rested now. You were more exhausted than I thought last night."

"Yeah," Ami tried to remember… "I don't even remember going to bed last night."

"That's because I carried you," Ryuuji told her.

"What?" Ami wanted to lift her head but Ryuuji was stroking his hand through her hair and it felt too good to make him stop that.

"You passed out after dinner in the living room while everyone was talking, so I made my excuses and took you to bed." Ryuuji informed her of the previous nights events.

"Um..." Ami looked at her pajama sleeve, "how did I get into my pajamas?" She used her other hand to check something else, "And how did I get out of my bra?"

"Well..." Ryuuji cringed, "You're going to hit me again, aren't you?" Ami considered it, briefly. _But… he is_ _my_ _boyfriend._

"No… if it was you, I guess it is okay." she blushed, then asked, "Why didn't you..."

"They refused," he frowned while remembering his own mother leading the charge with Yukiko and Yuri agreeing that it was his responsibility as her boyfriend.

"Heh," Ami laughed, "I'll bet it was all onee-chan's idea."

"Yup." Ryuuji confirmed.

"Speaking of your mother," Ami changed the topic, "I think she stole one of my friends."

"I wondered about that," Ryuuji said, "I never had more than one friend at a time, until last year. But from what my grandparents tell me, mom was pretty popular in school and had lots of friends."

"What does that have to do with this?" Ami asked.

"Its just that I'm not sure how things work when there are a lot of friendships all working together..." Ryuuji paused as he thought of the friendships over the last year. The strongest memory at the moment was when he worked with Haruta and Noto and… Taiga to save Kitamura from his self-destructive depression… and his ridiculous hair. Taiga and Kitamura… he wondered if he would ever see them again. He wondered if Taiga and Kitamura ever wanted to see him again.

"I don't know either," Ami was thinking about her own past friendships and how superficial they were. She didn't notice Ryuuji emotionally withdrawing while she was focusing on her own friendship failures. Even the friends she had last year weren't real… to some degree. Sure Maya and Nanako thought they were friends with her but in truth, she had never shown either of them the real Ami. Well… except for a few minutes in the ski lodge when she was trying to get Minori to open up. They caught a glimpse of the real Ami then, but she could tell that it frightened them and they were eager for her to return to the facade. The only ones that knew the real Ami were Ryuuji, Kitamura, Minori, and… Taiga. As soon as she thought of that stupid little shrimp's name she knew something was wrong. Ryuuji was no longer holding her hand. His other arm was not at her side and his hand was not resting on her hip or stroking her hair. It was just laying on the bed. He was right there but he felt cold… distant.

 _Oh no, what have I done?_ Ami's inner voice screamed. She started to panic.

"Ryuuji!" she jumped away from him and said, "You go get cleaned up first, I need to go..." _talk to your mother… NO! I can't say that_ , "...check on breakfast… and stuff." She leaped out of bed and raced out of the room as Ryuuji lumbered into the bath.

.

* * *

The door to Ryuuji and Ami's room flew open and Ami came racing out as if she had seen a ghost. Once again, Yuri was sprawled out on a couch and panting for breath but Yasuko was her usual chipper self, until she saw the look on Ami's face.

"What happened?" Yasuko's voice shook with uncharacteristic concern. The quality of her normally cheerful voice was so horribly altered with dread and fear that Yuri forgot her fatigue and sat up to see what was going on. Yukiko could tell there was something wrong just from the sound of Yasuko's voice and she came running into the living room from the kitchen.

"Onee-chan," Ami's voice also trembled with fear, "it's all my fault! He got cold… He thought about her… I'm losing him!" Ami fell the last few steps and Yasuko caught her.

"Oh no!" Yasuko felt Ami's fear and was immobilized in her own dread. She wanted to run to her boy but she didn't know what to do. She didn't want to make things worse. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of how far they had come and how her dreams had been answered by this blue haired girl who was now sobbing in her arms.

"Her?" Yukiko asked.

"Not Taiga?" Yuri asked.

"Yes!" Yasuko choked as she started to cry too.

"Who is Taiga?" Yukiko asked.

"He fell in love with her last year," Yuri explained, "then she left him to go find herself. He got so depressed the he… lost the will to live." Yuri gestured at Ami and Yasuko, "He might have died if it hadn't been for those two."

"I've heard enough," Yukiko was obviously mad as she started stomping off in the direction of Ami and Ryuuji's bedroom, "I'm going to have a few words with..." She didn't finish her sentence because a streak of silver pajamas and long flowing black hair suddenly rushed past her into Ryuuji and Ami's bedroom.

"Um," a very confused Ami tried to make sense of what she just saw, "was that Kurosawa-san?"

"Yes," Yasuko said, "I told her she could sleep here last night since it was so late and..."

"And what?" Ami could see that everyone else knew something that made this all acceptable.

"Ami-chan," Yasuko's big brown eyes revealed the kindness as she spoke, "your friend is not doing so well."

"She can only afford to stay in a Capsule hotel." Yuri added.

While Yuri and Yasuko were telling Ami about Hisako, they didn't notice that Yukiko had quietly followed the streak of black hair into the bedroom and had closed the door behind her.

.

* * *

"Baka!" Hisako slapped Ryuuji as he was about to sit on the shower stool. He was off balance and fell to his knees beside the big soaking tub.

"Hey!" Ryuuji tried to cover himself. He didn't even know that Hisako was still here but the blur of black hair could only be her. She was wearing some silver and blue pajamas that looked like the ones he had just taken off but he was nude in the shower and trying to cover himself and block the next slap at the same time.

"BAKA!" she screamed at him as she connected with his face again.

"Stop it!" Ryuuji shouted but she seemed to be extremely angry with him. She was going for another slap when it looked like she lost her footing and was falling toward the big tile tub. Ryuuji moved to catch her but it was a feint, she turned and her knee came up hard into his breadbasket. She knocked the wind out of him and he was defenseless on his knees – clutching his ribs and gasping for breath. Nothing could stop Hisako from slapping his face now.

"Your mother loves you!" She screamed at him and followed it with a SLAP!

"Your teacher loves you!" SLAP! Hisako started to cry as she yelled and slapped Ryuuji's face.

"BAKA! Your hotel manager even loves you!" SLAP!

"Hell, I just met you yesterday and I love you!" SLAP! Her own tears started to flow as she slowly turned both sides of his face red with the continued physical abuse.

"But most of all Ami loves you!" SLAP!

"That's right, Kawashima Ami loves you…" Hisako took a moment to wipe the tears from her own eyes on her sleeve before continuing, "… you BASTARD!" SLAP! Ryuuji was starting to be able to breathe again and he was starting to try to defend himself from the barrage of abuse to his face.

"Stop, please," Ryuuji said in ragged gasps, "I'm sorry."

"I don't give a damn if you're sorry," Hisako dropped to her knees. She wasn't trying to hit Ryuuji any more but she was still yelling at him, "I want to hear you say it! Who is it that you love?"

"I… I..." Ami came immediately to mind but there was Taiga. There was always Taiga. Always in the background waiting. Waiting for Ryuuji to have a weak moment – and then she would pounce. She would leave him tattered and torn. Ryuuji would be shredded and lying on the floor… sinking into it. Just wanting to disappear. But Ami would come. She put him back together again. She made him happy and she didn't hurt him. She always came for him when he needed her.

"Who do you love damn it?" Hisako screamed at him again.

"I love Kawashima Ami." Ryuuji said it out loud.

"Baka!" She tried to slap him again but he caught her hand this time. It didn't bother her that her hand was caught, she yelled at him anyway, "A worm can say it louder than that. Say it like you mean it!"

"I love Kawashima Ami!" Ryuuji yelled back into her face.

"Say it with conviction!" she screamed as she swung at his face with her other hand.

"I LOVE KAWASHIMA AMI!" he screamed back.

"Again!" she moved in close. Merely centimeters from his face and screamed at him.

"I LOVE KAWASHIMA AMI!" he screamed as loud as he could.

"GOOD!" she made her final yell then leaned in and kissed him. It was not a light kiss or a familial kiss. Her lips met his in a lovers kiss.

"Mmmmf!" Ryuuji was shocked as this raven haired beauty kissed him more passionately than he had ever been kissed by… anyone!

"Now," she backed up and looked into his startled eyes, "get out there and kiss her just like that!"

"Yes!" He knew what to do. For the moment, all indecisiveness had been quashed. This was a good feeling. He was up on his feet in seconds and walking out of the bathroom. He stopped in the bedroom only for a moment to put on a dark blue bath Yukata that Yukiko held open for him. Then he was purposefully striding for the door.

.

* * *

"What?" Yuri thought she heard something from Ryuuji's bedroom. Then her jaw dropped when she heard it again and much more clearly.

"I LOVE KAWASHIMA AMI!" It was Ryuuji's voice. It was heavily muted by the thick doors and the distance but it was clear that he was screaming it. Yuri looked at Yasuko and Ami and saw them looking equally shocked.

"I LOVE KAWASHIMA AMI!" Ryuuji's voice was even louder this time. Ami was still in Yasuko's arms but had turned around and was staring at the heavy door that came between her and the source of those amazingly wonderful words. She was in disbelief. She looked up at Yasuko for confirmation that it wasn't just her imagination running away. Ami wanted to know that it wasn't just unchecked hopeful desires running loose in her mind and making her hear what she so desperately wanted to hear. She saw the shocked but welcome look of unexpected hope on Yasuko's face and she knew she wasn't hearing things.

"But… how?" she was about to ask how this could be happening when the door to the bedroom was suddenly thrown open and Ryuuji came striding out, making his way straight for her.

Yasuko could see the determination in his face and she helped Ami get to her feet. Her eyes opened wide and a smile grew across her face as she watched her son. He looked so grown up, so strong, so full of confidence. His eyes were locked on Ami and the look on his face proclaimed that he was determined and there would be no conversation, no argument, no compromising about what was about to happen. Yasuko knew what he was going to do and she could only hope that Ami was ready for this.

Ami saw the determined look on his face too. She hadn't seen Ryuuji like this before and she didn't know what to make of it. Her uncertainty was the opportunity for doubts and fears to course into her. He was only a few meters away and her eyes were open wide with panic. Her voice trembled when she spoke.

"Ryuuji, what..." her ability to speak was interrupted by his kiss. He didn't hold her in his arms so much as he seized her and held her fast. His arms let her know that there was no escape. The way she melted into his embrace let him know that escape was the last thing she wanted.

.

* * *

"Is… is he kissing her?" Hisako was still on her knees on the floor of the shower area. The tears were still running from her eyes as she softly sobbed.

"Yes." Yukiko answered as she quietly closed the heavy door to the bedroom. Then, crossing the room to the emotionally torn model she asked, "You kissed him, didn't you?"

"Yes." Hisako looked down, "I'm sorry… I couldn't think of anything else that..."

"You did good." Yukiko put her hand on the mane of unruly black hair.

"Do you think Kawashima-san will ever forgive me?" Hisako looked up at the elegant hotel manager.

"I would be very surprised if she doesn't worship you as a goddess." Yukiko laughed. Then, looking down at the purple eyes still kneeling in this damp room she said, "Take your time; have breakfast and get cleaned up. When you are dressed, I want you to go back to your hotel…"

"I understand." Hisako looked down again, "I won't trouble you or OUCH!" she yelped as she was rapped on the top of her head. Looking up she saw the ice blue eyes of the hotel manager and a wry smile looking down on her.

"One of my men will escort you to your hotel. Pack your things and he will bring them back here." Yukiko told the kneeling model.

"But..." Hisako stammered but got quickly to her feet to tell the kind woman, "I don't have enough money to stay here!"

"Please," Yukiko laughed, "haven't you heard? I am the dear friend of Kawashima Ami and her onee-chan, Takasu Yasuko. After what you just did for them, how could I do anything less?"

.

**Friday evening, July 24 – Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

There was a warm happy glow from the lights of the rooftop greenhouse garden at the hotel. The big soaking tub was a happy place with Ami's growing entourage of friends. Yasuko, Yukiko, Yuri, and Hisako were enjoying a glass of wine as they enjoyed soaking in the hot water at the end of the day. Although Ami was with them, she was not yet of age to drink wine, so she was enjoying a mint flavored tea that was supposed to be relaxing and would help her sleep well. Ryuuji had just arrived from helping the hotel employee put away the last of the dishes.

"Ryu-chan!" his mother erupted when she saw him enter the wet area in his dark blue robe, "Hurry up and get in, it's soooo relaxing!"

"I'll be right in." he turned and put the cell phone down on the small table then folded the robe and put it down in the chair. When he turned around, wearing only his brief swim suit, he noticed that everyone was looking at him.

"Kawashima-san," Hisako teased, "your manager is hot."

"You think that's hot?" Ami smiled and took the black haired model by the hand, "Wait until you see what happens when he puts his hands on you."

"Eh?" Hisako gasped as Ami led her to the middle of the bath and had her stand in the familiar position.

"Now put your arms out like this and do everything he tells you to do." Ami held her arms straight out until Hisako had the right position, then she moved back. Hisako was about to make her excuses and move back to a place to sit down when she heard the teacher speak.

"Oh," Yuri said enviously, "you are in for such a treat?"

"Eh?" Hisako was stunned. _This is something he has done with his teacher? What on earth?_

Just then, she jumped a little when she felt his hand on her neck. His fingers traced out the muscles on the left side, then the right side. Both of his hands then followed the muscles of her shoulders out. She couldn't help the moan as his fingers pressed into the muscles along her spine and ran down her back.

"I think she likes it." Yuri smiled.

"Yes," Hisako started to move away, "that was very nice."

"Oh honey," Yasuko was quickly up in front of Hisako and wrapped her arms around the black haired girl as she told her, "he hasn't even started yet."

"Eep!" Yuri stifled a laugh. She looked at Yukiko and saw that the hotel manager had also noticed that when Yasuko's hands came away from the hug with Hisako, she also came away with the swim suit top that Hisako had been wearing. Yasuko hid it behind her back until she was sitting down again.

Hisako was so confused and excited by everything that was happening that she didn't notice her top missing at all. Ryuuji was still behind her so the only people that were able to see the black haired model's unrestrained bosom were the other women in the bath. Ami's mouth fell open in surprise. For a moment she worried about what could happen between Ryuuji and Hisako in her partially undressed state. For a moment she worried about what onee-chan could be thinking. For a moment…

The moment was over and her mouth closed into a confident smile. She knew them both now. She knew them well enough to know that she had nothing to worry about. Onee-chan would be onee-chan and she was either doing this because it seemed like fun or to get the thing out of the way so Ryuuji could get to Hisako's back without the strap in the way. Or both.

And Ryuuji would be Ryuuji. She could walk him into a room full of nude models and he would do nothing to embarrass himself… or her. So it was with confidence in her… boyfriend that she sat back and watched Ryuuji put one arm around Hisako, apply pressure to her back, and start the bending and twisting that would lead to the transformation of discomfort into pleasure.

Hisako awoke from her pleasant dream to find herself still in the bath and leaning on Ryuuji's left shoulder. His arm was around her and he had a hold on her arm. The fog cleared quickly from her mind and she knew his hand was there to keep her from slipping under the water. Wait a minute? If she was leaning on Ryuuji, where was Ami? Hisako's head snapped up and she looked around.

"Kawashima-san!" Hisako cried out.

"I'm right here." Ami called out from the other side of Ryuuji, "and you know… if you're going to be close enough to hang out topless, in a bath with me and my boyfriend, I think you could start calling me Ami."

"Ami?" Hisako was stunned at what the blue haired girl had just told her. Then she recalled what else Ami had just said, "Topless? WHAT?"

"I have a question for you all." Ryuuji waited until the laughter died down and Ami finished tying the back of Hisako's top. "What do you think the best way is to handle the correction of the truth and the announcement that Ami and Kurosawa-san are friends?"

"Eh?" Hisako spun and faced Ryuuji. She wanted to tell him that he could not do that. She was a bad mark. She had already ruined her own career and she didn't want to ruin Ami's career too. She knew she had to stop this but Yamada-san spoke before she could say a word.

"What do you have in mind, Mr. Manager?" Yukiko asked.

"I was thinking that a story like this would be pretty big and would be good for Kurosawa-san as well as Ami." Ryuuji suggested.

"It could be," Yuri thought about it for a few moments, "it all decides on how you spin it."

"Kurosawa-san," Yukiko asked, "do you have a manager?"

"No, Yamada-san." Hisako was about to add that no manager would have her.

"Excellent," Yukiko smiled, "you should list Takasu-san as your manager."

"What?" Hisako gasped.

"I see," Yuri laughed, "that makes the story even better! They even share the same manager."

"But," Ami hated to dash everything, but she had to remind them, "Ryuuji and I are still high school students and he can't be there for her like a real manager."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Hisako said sadly, "I don't get work very often… anymore"

"That will probably change after the story comes out." Yukiko said thoughtfully.

"Um," Yuri looked a little sheepish as she told them, "I probably shouldn't be telling you this but as long as your grades are good and the reason is work related, it is acceptable to miss the occasional day of school."

"I guess now we just need to know when the article is coming out." Ami turned to Ryuuji.

Ryuuji looked at his cell phone on the table and knew that he would be making a certain reporter very happy with the news he was about to tell him.

.

**Saturday morning, July 25 – The Studio**

* * *

"Kawashima-san! Mr. Manager!" a familiar voice called out to Ami and Ryuuji. They had just arrived at the studio for the half day of shooting that was scheduled along with Hisako. Hisako didn't have anything scheduled for the day but she was going to keep Ryuuji company while he waited for Ami. She turned as well but didn't recognize the two girls approaching them. There was a shorter girl with sea green eyes and black hair like her own, but only shoulder length. The other girl was as tall as Ryuuji with red hair down to her lower back, but the same sea green eyes. Their faces looked similar and Hisako wondered if they could be sisters.

"Minami-san!" Ryuuji recognized the shorter of the two girls as the stewardess from the Green Car of the bullet train they had taken to Tokyo. He asked her, "Don't tell me this is the little sister that you talked about?" Ryuuji looked at the girl that was easily as tall as him and was currently bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Kawashima Ami!" the tall red head cried out, "It's really you! It's really you!"

"She didn't believe me when I gave her the autographed photo." Umeko laughed.

"I didn't think you were ever coming back to modeling." the tall girl started to tear up from the happiness of seeing her idol, "all because of..."

"Stop!" Ryuuji interrupted what could have turned into a very uncomfortable comment. The red head looked at Ryuuji as if to challenge him. Umeko took her sister's hand and spoke to her softly.

"Suzume-chan," Umeko told her, "this is the Mr. Manager that I told you about."

"Oh," Suzume suddenly blushed and said, "excuse me."

"I only wanted to stop you from saying something... unfortunate." Ryuuji explained, "we only found out a few days ago that there was a terrible misunderstanding about why Ami left modeling."

"I know there were some lies going around about..."

"Tut!" Ryuuji interrupted her again, "The truth is that there was a stalker and she did go back to high school." Ryuuji could see the look of disbelief on the readhead’s face so he did the same thing that he did with Hisako. He pulled out his student ID and showed it to the disbelieving girl, "I can vouch for this story because I am a student at the same high school and I saw the stalker."

"But..." the shocked look on Suzume's face was priceless. She was a fan of Kawashima Ami and for the last year she had absolutely believed what had been published in the celebrity magazines.

"More importantly, anything you heard about Kurosawa Hisako being involved in Ami leaving was complete rubbish."

"That… that can't be." Suzume couldn't believe her own ears.

"Suzume-chan," Ami smiled sweetly knowing what kind of bomb she was about to drop on the tall redhead. She took Hisako by both hands and turning to Suzume she smiled and said, "I would like you to meet my good and dear friend, Kurosawa Hisako."

"WHAAAAAAAAT!" both of the Minami sisters cried out.

.

* * *

Both Minami Suzume and Ami were involved in shoots this Saturday morning, so it was Ryuuji, Hisako, and Minami Umeko at a table in the café.

"I think your sister hates me." Hisako said to Umeko.

"She'll get over it." Umeko smiled, "For a year she believed you were the reason why her idol quit. She knows the truth now but she's only fourteen and it will take a while for her feelings to catch up to the facts."

"She's only fourteen and she's as tall as me?" Ryuuji was stunned.

"Her birthday is in October so she'll be fifteen soon, but yeah, she is now at 177 centimeters." Umeko told them, "No one else in the family is that tall so it made her feel uncomfortable until she got into modeling." Looking over at Hisako she asked, "You're the same height as my sister aren't you?"

"176," Hisako replied, "but I'm finished growing and she may yet beat me out by several more centimeters."

"I hope not," Umeko frowned, "she hasn't had any interest in it yet but some day she is going to wonder why the guys never ask her out."

"Huh?" Ryuuji didn't understand that comment.

"A lot of guys don't want to go out with a girl that's taller than them." Hisako told him. She looked sad as she said it and Ryuuji understood that this was probably something she had gone through herself. He didn't want her to dwell on sad memories so he decided to change the subject.

"So, Umeko-san," Ryuuji asked, "what are you and your sister doing tomorrow?"

"I have to work tomorrow so I'll be taking her home tonight." she replied, "Why?"

"Oh, I was hoping you two could join us for a day of sightseeing around Tokyo." Ryuuji said.

"You're not leaving tonight too?" Umeko asked.

"No," Ryuuji told her, "we're here for all the shooting events through Wednesday."

"Oh no!" Umeko covered her mouth, "Don't tell Suzume, please. She was supposed to get a chance to go to more shoots but I couldn't get the days off."

"She could stay with us." Ryuuji suggested.

"She's only fourteen." Umeko said doubtfully.

"Do you remember who I am traveling with?" Ryuuji reminded the bullet train stewardess.

"Huh?" Umeko then remembered the other two. His mother and their high school teacher. Suddenly, this was sounding more reasonable than leaving her at home alone while she ran off to work every day. "Oh yeah..."

"Wait," Hisako smiled, "I have an idea."

.

* * *

After a phone call that Ryuuji made shortly after hearing Hisako's idea, Yukiko knew that there would be two more for lunch when they got back to the hotel. Suzume was the last to arrive at the table in the café. As she approached the group, it was clear that she was still conflicted about Kurosawa Hisako. There was a dart board in her room at home with a picture of Kurosawa taped to it. You couldn't tell it was her any more since there were so many holes in the picture from all the darts that had been thrown over the last year. Even now, her muscle memory wanted to tell her to pick up something sharp and throw it at the black haired model's face. At the same time, she knew the truth now and she knew she was wrong to think those things. She didn't want to be mad at Hisako any more and she already knew she was mad at herself for not being a better person.

When Umeko told her sister that they had been invited to have lunch back at Ami's hotel, she had been thrilled and thought that this would be a chance to get away from this uncomfortable feeling since Hisako would probably be going back to her own hotel. She wasn't stupid and she figured out pretty quickly that Hisako must also be joining them for lunch, or staying at the same hotel, or both. She did feel a little better as they walked along to the hotel though. The way everyone was talking and laughing put her more at ease. It was like she was with a group of old friends. But even that thought saddened her a bit too. They were all friends but she had just met them. She was a fan… not a friend.

When they got to the hotel, Suzume was a little shocked that they were going in the service entrance. She was more shocked when they all loaded into the service elevator. She looked at her sister with concern but her sister just smiled as if she already knew about this. The feeling of trepidation didn't leave her until they got to the penthouse suite and she could see the amazing living room with it's beautiful picture windows and tall ceilings.

"It's so beautiful!" Suzume gushed.

"Thank you," an attractive woman with dark brown hair and ice blue eyes said, "I've worked hard to make it so." Suzume noticed there were two other women here now. They were shorter than her. Along with the woman with the ice blue eyes, they were all about as tall as her sister. One of them had long reddish brown hair and the other was a blond bombshell.

"Ah good," Ryuuji announced, "we're all here."

"Suzume-chan," Ami surprised her by using her name like that, "I would like you to meet more of my friends." She indicated the lady with the ice blue eyes and dark brown hair and said, "This is Yamada Yukiko. And this," she made a grand gesture to indicate everything around them, "is her hotel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Yamada-san." Suzume said as she gave a polite bow.

"Koigakubo Yuri," she indicated the lady with the red-brown hair, "is my tutor."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Koigakubo-san." Suzume said as she gave a polite bow to the teacher.

"And this," Ami threw her arms around the blond bombshell, "is my onee-chan, Takasu Yasuko."

"It's a pleasure to… Takasu?" Suzume looked confused, "So you would be Takasu Ryuuji's sister?"

"Oooooh, she is so sweet!" Yasuko cried out, then turned to Ami and begged, "can I keep her, pleeeease!"

"But… wait..." Suzume was still confused. She turned to Ami and asked, "If she is your onee-chan… does that mean you are dating your brother?"

"Eh?" several voices cried out at the same time.

"No no no no!" Ryuuji explained, "I am… related to her but Ami calling her onee-chan is more of an honorary title." Ryuuji made a mental note to make sure that confusion was resolved for the magazine reporter.

"I call her onee-chan too," Yuri admitted.

"I have called her onee-chan a few times myself," Yukiko added.

"But why would you call someone onee-chan when they are obviously younger than you?" Suzume asked.

"Eeeeee!" Yasuko cried out as she went to the confused girl and hugged her tight. "She's so sweet! I want to keep her!"

"No." Umeko challenged the blond, "She's my sister. I am her onee-chan."

"I want to be her onee-chan too!" Yasuko pouted.

"What is it with you," Umeko tried to pull Suzume free of Yasuko's hug, why are you collecting all these little sisters?"

"I never had a real little sister," Yasuko said, "so I want to be the best big sister I can for my pretend little sisters."

"She is a really good big sister," Yukiko said affectionately.

"The best." Yuri added.

"I think so too," Ami agreed.

"Really?" Yasuko let go of Suzume and looked at her three friends, "I am… I am a good onee-chan?" In response, the three women held their arms out and took the tearful blond into a group hug that confirmed every bit of their fondness for their onee-chan.

"What about you?" Suzume asked Ryuuji, "is she a good onee-chan to you too?"

"She is," Ryuuji smiled broadly as everyone's attention seemed to be focused on his response, "absolutely the best."

As she was watching this incredible display of emotion, Suzume felt someone take her hand. Turning away from the group hug scene, she saw that Hisako was holding her hand and looking a bit anxious. Suzume's initial reaction was to yank her hand away but she remembered in time that this girl was her idol's friend, not her enemy.

"Suzume-chan," Hisako said, "I know they may seem a bit strange right now but they are a very friendly group and completely safe."

"Oh um… thank you." Suzume said.

"I have a room on the twenty-third floor. It's just right down the stairwell from here." Hisako continued, "I have talked about this with your sister and if you wouldn't mind being with me, you could stay here for the duration of the shooting event."

"What?" Suzume turned to her sister and excitedly asked, "Really?"

"Only if you promise to do whatever Mr. Manager tells you and never go anywhere without someone else with you." Umeko stipulated.

"Onee-chan..." Suzume grumbled. She was almost fifteen after all. Then she wondered about something her sister said, "Why do I have to listen to Mr. Manager?"

"This was his idea," Umeko told her, "and since you are underage, I had to put down the name of a family member or manager that would be accompanying you so I registered him as your manager."

"When did you do that?" Suzume wondered.

"While you were in your shoot." Umeko answered, "I also let them know you would be available till the end of the event."

"So," Suzume's eyebrow went up, "you figured I would agree to this?"

"I can always call them and tell them never-mind..." Umeko had raised her cell phone and was already pushing buttons.

"No no no no!" Suzume lunged for the phone in her sister's hand, "I agree! I agree to everything!"

"I thought you might." Umeko smiled and put her phone away.

"Kurosawa Hisako," Suzume turned to the raven haired girl standing next to her and looking hopeful, "I accept your invitation and… I apologize for all the bad things I thought about you all this time."

"Perfectly timed!" Yukiko announced to the room, "Lunch is served."


	13. Connecting with Genuises

**Monday afternoon, July 27 – Sudoh Bucks Coffee Shop**

* * *

Kihara Maya, Kashii Nanako, Haruta Koji, and Hisamitsu Noto had met up at the Sudoh Bucks coffee shop to talk about doing something over the summer. It was another hot summer day and their energy seemed drained just getting here. Trying to beat the heat, all but Nanako had some kind of iced drink. Nanako was also the only one not wearing typical teen wear – jeans and a tee shirt. Instead, she was wearing a bright yellow sun dress that perfectly complemented her long purple hair and blue eyes. The fabric looked gauzy soft and comfortable.

"Yo Nanako-chan," Koji asked, "how can you drink a hot coffee an a day like this?

"Yeah," Noto added, "I think I'm melting a little just watching you drink it."

"I really like the rich flavor of this blend." Nanako replied, "Besides, I'm not as hot as you guys." Standing up, she turned around in a full circle showing off her bright yellow sun dress, "I dressed appropriately."

"Yeah," Maya noticed how both Noto and Koji were mesmerized by her little move, "you really need to show me where you got that."

"This?" Nanako indicated her sun dress, "Would you like me to make you one?"

"You made that?" Koji choked, "Whoa, that's amazing!"

"Thank you, Haruta-san," Nanako then asked him, "I thought your girlfriend was going to join us. Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Koji answered, "she has a big family thing going on today. She said she would try to catch up with us later but..."

"No problem," Noto said, "I know how those family obligations can be."

"Oh yeah," Nanako recalled, "you're from a pretty big family too, aren't you?"

"Koji and me both." Noto laughed, "We used to compare notes about how many family reunions and relatives we had to meet over past summer breaks."

"You didn't like it… going to all those family events?" Nanako asked.

"When you're young and you want to spend the summer doing things with your friends, so getting dragged off to see a bunch of relatives that you barely remember is a drag." Koji said.

"Yeah," Noto agreed. Then he noticed the puzzled looks on Maya and Nanako's faces and asked, "What, you like going off to family reunions on your school breaks?"

"Um, yeah… it's not a problem for me." Maya blushed and looked away from Noto. She looked right at Nanako.

"Maya..." Nanako gave her friend a withering look.

"What?" Maya's embarrassment grew as she realized her friend was trying to tell her not to lie to her boyfriend. She tried to stare down her accusing friend.

"You know _what_." Nanako returned the gaze with compassion until Maya finally looked away.

"What's going on?" Noto asked. He knew Maya and Nanako had always been close, but this was the first time he had seen Nanako stand up to Maya like this.

"Nanako doesn't want me to lie to you." Maya confessed, "I don't have a big family. It's just me and my aunt. I've never been to a family reunion in my life." She felt like leaving after telling the truth. She wondered what Noto must think of her. Her little family was so pathetic compared to his.

"Hey," Noto could feel the tension in Maya building, "it's okay."

"No it's not dude." Koji was shaking his head, "she has a right to be scared."

"Eh?" Maya was embarrassed, but she wasn't really scared.

"Big families are tough for the girls," Koji explained, "she'll have to start keeping track or a bunch of big brothers and big sisters, and aunts and uncles, and grandparents and in-laws after she marries you."

"WHAT?" Noto and Maya cried out.

"Dude, it's obvious!" Koji went on, "just suddenly having a bunch of onee-chans and onii-chans is going to be tough enough for her..."

"Not that!" Maya blurted out, "What makes you think we're getting married?"

"Oh," Koji looked at Noto who was blushing and begging him with his eyes to just shut up. "What happened, did you turn him down?"

"Turn him down?" Maya was confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Dude!" Koji was shocked as he turned on his friend, "How long are you gonna carry that thing around in your pocket?"

“Ah!” Nanako gasped.

"Koji..." Noto was gritting his teeth, "please… shut… up!"

“Carry what thing around?” Maya couldn't figure out what Haruta was talking about at all.

"No way dude," Koji pressed on, "I've known you for a long time. I have never seen you as happy as you are when you're with Maya-chan." This was all making Maya blush furiously and she tried to get up but gentle hands firmly held her down in her seat.

"You need to stay here now." Nanako whispered into her ear, "Don't be afraid, I'm right here with you."

Maya was too stunned by everything that was going on around her to reply, but she reached up and desperately held onto Nanako's hands.

"Dude," Koji continued to egg his friend on, "How can you be brave enough to be the first one to turn his back on that jerk sensei and not do this?"

"It's… different." Noto stammered, "I'm afraid okay!" He couldn't look at any of them now. His fists were clenched and his heart was racing. How could Koji drag him into this now? What was he thinking?

"Afraid of this?" Koji brushed it aside, "Dude, you could have been expelled for what you did at the school that day!"

"That's how it's different!" Noto said fiercely. Then in a more desperate expression he turned to Maya and said, "After our fight at the ski lodge I felt horrible. I felt like I could just curl up and die for making you cry. I felt bad about hurting you before I even knew that I love you."

_I love you._

The last three words made Maya's breathing catch and her heart skip. Her eyes opened a little wider and she held onto Nanako's hands a little tighter.

"Ever since you said you would be my girlfriend, I have been so happy." Noto continued, "Koji-kun is right about that. I have never been as happy in my life as I am when I'm with you."

_I love you._

"Me… me too." Maya almost whispered. Her eyes were beginning to cloud up with tears but she was terrified to let go of Nanako's hands. She tried to just blink them away. Noto saw her struggle and reached over to her face to dab the tears away. He left his fingertips on her face and caressed her soft cheek. Although Maya was shocked that he was touching her face like that, she couldn't help but lean her head into his hand as he caressed her.

"I told myself that I would never do anything to jeopardize this happiness." Noto said softly, "That's why I'm so afraid of doing this."

Maya was afraid too. This time with Noto had been the most wonderful, happy time of her life and she was constantly in fear of waking up from the dream. She feared that she would do something stupid and ruin it, or he would just leave her, or any number of possible tragedies could happen that would end her happiness. If it could just stay like this forever...

"Ah!" Maya cried out as she saw his other hand set a small black jewelry box down on the table in front of her. The tears started anew and Noto had to dab her eyes again.

"You see," Noto looked hopelessly lost as he said, "if you say no… my world would end." Then his expression changed to one of cautious hope and he continued, "But if you said yes, you would make me so happy… I don't even know what that would feel like. If I were to ask you… and you were to answer… I can't imagine any better feeling in the world than if you would say..."

"Yes!" Maya blurted out, then blushed. Her eyes opened wide at the surprise of what she had just said but she kept her head up and kept her eyes looking into Noto's eyes.

"Huh?" Noto just realized she had given him the answer that he had dreamed of hearing from her. He had been about to tell her that he couldn't find the courage to ask the question because of the dread of her possibly saying no… but had she just?

"Dude," Koji cheered, "she said yes!" Haruta had been able to hang onto his calm better than the other three and had noticed that everyone else in the café was now watching this little story unfold.

"No no no no!" Noto was suddenly on his feet. His response had only confused Koji but it made Maya and Nanako recoil as if he was already changing his mind and rejecting Maya. "I have to to this properly! I have to do this right… for Maya." Noto grabbed the small black box and got down on his knees at Maya's feet. He opened the little box to reveal a gleaming silver band with a remarkable blue-white stone.

"Oh my gods." Maya and Nanako gasped at once as they saw the dream unfolding right in front of them.

"Kihara Maya, will you marry me?" Noto had practiced a speech but he had barely got the words out when she shouted her response.

"YES!" Maya left no misunderstanding of her decision or intentions as she cried out, "I will marry you and become Mrs. Hisamitsu Maya!"

"Maya," Nanako said softly, "you have to let go of my hands now. He needs to put the engagement ring on your finger." Maya was frozen in shock and didn't loosen her grip even a little. Maya could feel the tension and shock still pent up in her friend's body and knew how difficult this must be for her. With Maya still holding her hands, Nanako wrapped her arms around her friend from behind and brought her face, cheek to cheek with Maya's. She whispered to her friend, "Maya, do you love him?"

"Yes!" a trembling Maya squeaked.

"Tell him that you love him." Nanako said softly into Maya's ear.

"I love you… Noto-kun! Maya said to the still kneeling boyfriend.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with him?" Nanako asked her friend.

"Yes!" Maya chirped again.

Noto was watching the two friends and he could see how Nanako's physical contact and words were calming his beloved Maya. Noto tried not to let his expression show his confusion but there was something wrong. The worst was over. He had asked the impossible question and she had given the unbelievable answer so… what was Maya so afraid of? Why was she still clinging to Nanako like this? Then he saw the tears start to fall from Nanako's eyes and he understood. When he heard what Nanako said to her oldest and dearest friend, he knew.

"Maya… my wonderful, sweet Maya..." Nanako said softly. She was somehow able to keep the tremor out of her voice as the tears ran down her cheeks. She hugged the auburn haired girl tightly and told her, "we have been friends for a long… long time, but you are going to have to let go of me and give him your hand now."

"I don't want to..." Maya sobbed, "I don't want to ever let go of you." Maya wanted to tell Nanako how much she meant to her. Since grade school, Nanako had always been there for her. When times were good, Nanako was there to celebrate with her. When times were bad, Nanako was there to offer an ear, or a shoulder, or a hug. When Maya felt stupid, Nanako helped her study. When Maya felt plain, Nanako arrived with make-up and a suitcase full of dress-up clothes. She had always been there for Nanako too. In some respects they had been each others onee-chan's for as long as they had known each other. There were many times that Maya and Nanako thought that the only thing they had in the universe with any meaning was each other. Maya couldn't begin to figure out how to say everything she wanted to say to Nanako just then, but her attention was snatched away from those thoughts by Noto's sudden movement. He was still kneeling but he was between her legs and his left hand was holding her right hand which still held Nanako's right hand as well. Noto was looking into both their eyes.

"Maya," Noto said to his distressed girlfriend, "I will _never_ ask you to let go of Nanako-chan." Maya sobbed and looked at Nanako. Nanako nodded and they both looked back at Noto. Slowly, Maya let go of Nanako's left hand. She wanted to hold out her hand to Noto but it was shaking so… Then she felt Nanako's hand, taking her by the wrist and offering the hand to Noto. Reaching out, Noto gently took Maya's hand and slid the ring onto the shaking finger.

"Way to go, dude!" Koji gave his friend a thumb's up and smiled. He watched with amusement as Noto, Maya, and Nanako all blushed when all the customers and staff in the coffee shop started applauding and cheering them on. The manager brought out a small cake for the table and told them to remember where they got their first engagement gift. After a while, things started to get back to normal… except for Maya constantly looking at her new ring.

"Awww duuuuude." Koji groaned as he read a text message on his phone.

"Something wrong?" Noto asked.

"Not really, I guess." Koji smiled, "I'm not tryin to one-up you or anything but I asked my girlfriend to marry me last night."

"What?" Noto gasped, "What did she say?"

"Yes, of course." Koji looked stunned that Noto would ask such a question. "So in two weeks I will be in Hokkaido with some of my family and all of her family to go over the details."

"Congratulations, Koji-kun!" Nanako said.

"Really Koji," Noto said, "that's great."

"Yeah… congratulations." a troubled looking Maya said. Then she asked him, "Details?"

"Huh," Koji asked her, "about the engagement?"

"About those details that your families have to go over." Maya clarified.

"Oh yeah," Koji said, "unless you're eloping or just filing at the government building, a wedding is some pretty complicated business."

"It is?" Nanako said with some concern.

"I… I don't know what to do!" With growing panic, Maya looked at Nanako but she was just as clueless. Neither of them had been involved with marriages of family members, not even their respective guardians were married. She could feel the fear start to set in when Koji, of all people, offered helpful advice.

"Don't worry about it," he laughed, Noto has enough female relatives living in this town to fill a tour bus." At first those words only frightened Maya more, until Koji explained, "You are going to make them super happy when you ask them for help to plan your wedding!"

"Oh wow." Noto's eyes opened up, "he's right." Then Noto grimaced, "Um, knowing my sisters, mom, and aunts… they'll probably take over the whole thing."

"Really?" to Maya's ears, that sounded incredibly helpful, "as long as I'm still the bride and you're still the groom, they can do anything they want!"

"You two are gonna be fine," Koji smiled. "And it looks like I have a gift for you." He pulled an envelope out of his wallet and tossed it to Noto across the table.

"What's this?" Noto asked as he picked up the envelope and looked inside.

"An all expenses paid trip for four, for a week." Koji said a little sourly, "My girlfriend got it and we were supposed to go but it is at the same time that the families want us up in Hokkaido."

"No kidding?" Noto was getting excited, "Is it to a to a hot springs or a beach?"

"Both," Koji grinned at the stunned faces of his friends, "It's a little place in the Izu Islands. A group of cabanas surround a natural hot springs, and they're walking distance from the beach."

"But Koji… this is too much!" Koji held the envelope out to his friend, "I couldn't possibly..."

"They're non-refundable." Nanako commented as she was looking at the envelope that Noto was trying to hand to Koji, "At least that's what it says on the envelope."

"Huh?" Noto pulled his hand back and looked at the symbol.

"Yeah, I already asked about that." Koji said, "No refund, so you might as well use it or it will just go to waste."

"Wow," Noto was looking through the contents of the envelope now and it all looked legitimate… as far as he could tell. He did have an uncle in the travel industry so he would run this by him before making any plans, but he wouldn't mention that now. "I really appreciate this, Koji."

"Hey, for a buddy like you, no problemo!" Koji laughed.

"So, are you going to do a church wedding or a Shinto wedding?" Nanako asked Koji.

"I don't know, that's what this trip is supposed to be about. If I had my way..." Koji was answering when all their cell phones suddenly alerted that they got a message. They all had a flashback to that day in the classroom when they got a picture of Venus on their phones. They all had the same thought and the same question.

_Could it be Taiga?_

"It's Ryuuji!" Noto said as he confirmed that he wanted to download the attachments.

"Whoa!" Koji cheered, "I got a picture of Ryuuji surrounded by a bunch of hot girls in front of… what is that? A big window?"

"That's the Tokyo Tower," Nanako said, "I went there with my mom a long time ago."

"And that's Ami-chan!" Maya gasped as she recognized the blue haired girl smiling and holding hands with Ryuuji.

"Wow, you're right!" Koji looked closer at his phone, "And that blond next to her is totally hot!" Maya and Nanako were starting to get a little put out at Koji's enthusiasm at ogling the pretty girls in the picture until Noto said something that made them stare at the picture even harder.

"Koji," he sounded as if he was giving someone a reprimand, "the blond next to Ami-chan is Ryuuji's mom."

"Wow!" Nanako gasped.

"I know, she is pretty amazing..." Noto was saying but Nanako cut him off.

"Not that," she said, "the one with the Reddish hair next to Ryuuji-kun's mom is Koigakubo-sensei!"

"WHAT?" the other three gasped.

"Who are the other two then?" Koji asked about the red haired girl next to Ryuuji and the black haired girl on the end, next to the red haired girl. "They're real cute but I don't remember seeing them at our school before."

"That can't be..." Maya said with disbelief, "Nanako, doesn't that girl next to Ryuuji-kun look a lot like Kurosawa Hisako?"

"Who?" Nanako asked as she used the zoom on her phone to get a better look at the mystery girl.

"Remember that celebrity magazine that I had?" Maya reminded her friend, "Ami didn't like to read the articles about herself, but I did."

"Yeah," Nanako remembered the article now, "wasn't that girl supposed to be responsible for causing Ami-chan to have a nervous breakdown and give up on modeling?"

"What's this?" Noto asked.

"The article said that the whole _going back to school_ tale was a lie," Maya recounted the story, "and what really happened was this girl… Kurosawa Hisako, made Ami-chan look bad at a photo shoot and..."

"The story is wrong." Noto said as he carefully zoomed in on Ami's face, then on the black haired girl's face."

"Huh?" Maya liked that magazine and felt a little defensive about Noto's comment, "How can you say that? What makes you think you know better than what their reporters were able to find?"

"Second of all," Noto didn't notice the injured tone of his fiancé's voice since he was still concentrating on scanning the pictures, "look at their faces. Either they are both doing some very good acting, or they are genuinely happy to be in the same picture with each other… or Ami-chan is a complete idiot and doesn't know what this girl did to her even though it has been published in a magazine."

"What's first of all?" Nanako asked. She hoped he had a real good answer because Maya's face was showing signs of building anger that Noto wasn't noticing.

"First of all, we have all been in high school classes with Ami-chan for over a year, so we all know the magazine got it wrong since their premise was that Ami-chan lied about going back to high school." Noto said as he finally looked up.

"Oh yeah," Maya said with shock. Why hadn't she thought of that? She turned to Nanako but her purple haired friend was just smiling back at her.

"You're going to marry a genius," Nanako consoled her friend, "you're smart Maya, but he's up there with Kitamura-san and Ryuuji-kun."

"Huh?" Noto had no idea what this conversation was all about, but he felt strangely complemented and insulted at the same time.

"It's nothing," Maya waved it off, "let's see the rest of the pictures." They all went back to their phones and looked at a few dozen pictures that Ryuuji had sent to them all. He wasn't in all of them, but Ami was in every picture. Noto ran through all the pictures several times and noticed that the only ones that were in every picture were Ami, the black haired girl that Maya believed to be Kurosawa Hisako, and the red haired girl that nobody recognized. Finally there was a text message from Ryuuji. Maya was right about Kurosawa Hisako, and the red haired girl was another model named Minami Suzume. That explained one of the final pictures. It was in some kind of living room around a big table. Ryuuji, Ami, and Suzume were all around the table with school books out and Koigakubo-sensei looked like she was explaining something to Suzume.

"Whoa," Koji must have been looking at the same picture when he said, "He's hanging out with models, having fun in Tokyo, and still getting his summer homework done before the last day? Sometimes I could really hate that guy."

"I wonder how he arranged to take a teacher with him on a vacation?" Maya said aloud.

"I wonder why he did." Koji laughed.

"Maybe it wasn't him," Nanako suggested, "look at the pictures with sensei and Ryuuji's mom. They look pretty close." She was right. There were several pictures with the two of them having a lot of fun. One in particular showed Yuri-sensei feeding Yasuko red grapes while Yasuko was feeding Yuri-sensei white grapes. "This one… with the grapes."

"It's a little… disturbing?" Maya suggested.

"I think it's hot!" Koji said. Koji was expecting to get chastised when he said that. When nothing happened, he looked around and saw that the others were blushing.

"It says they're going to wrap this up in a few days then they are going to have a real vacation in Shizuoka at a hot springs hotel." Maya smirked, "Huh, so sightseeing in Tokyo isn't a real vacation?"

"It looks like they got one day of sightseeing." Noto commented, "I'll bet the rest of the time was spent with Ami doing her modeling work."

"Well, the models had to work." Maya agreed, "I wonder what the rest of them have been doing?"

"Let's find out." Koji sent a text before any of the rest of them could tell him not to.

Maya smacked her head at Koji's antics, but she was a little glad he did it. She really did want to know the answer to that question. Turning to her fiancé, she noticed that he was putting together a fairly long text to Ryuuji.

"What are you writing?" Maya asked Noto.

"This is the first time Ryuuji has really communicated with us in months." Noto said while still typing out text on his phone, "I'm letting him know what we are up to now. I hope it will make it easier for him when we all get together again if he doesn't feel like he is out of the loop."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Maya just sat and watched Noto as he continued entering text on his phone. She admired the thoughtfulness in everything he did. Taking the care to think through everything and his consideration in how he cared for his friends… and for her, really made her happy. She had been attracted to Kitamura because of his caring nature and now she saw that Noto was the same kind of person. He had done everything he could to help Kitamura in that whole student council president fiasco last year, and now he was doing the best he could for Ryuuji. She wondered… "Um, Noto?"

"Yeah?" he answered without looking up from his phone.

"If I ever stumble… will you be there for me like you are for your friends?" He looked up from his phone now to see her blushing, but still looking at him.

"Mind if I answer that with a quote?" his eyebrow arched as he asked Maya.

"Sure." she allowed, but she was hoping it wouldn't be a corny movie reference at least.

"Till death do us part." he said as he looked into her sparkling red brown eyes.

Maya could not think of words. Her heart was on fire for Noto. She rushed into his arms, her lips rushed to meet his.

Noto knew Maya needed a hug. The kiss was unexpected but not unwelcome. As she fell into his arms, he tossed his phone to Koji and embraced his fiancé.

Koji took a look at the phone and saw the super long message that was being sent back to Ryuuji. It was way too much reading so he just looked at the end to make sure it made sense and sent it. Then he smiled and looked at the happy kissing couple in front of him. Looking back at the phone in his hand gave him an idea.

.

**Monday evening, July 27 - Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

"Can you show me how you do this?" Hisako asked Ryuuji while both of them were standing over Yuri who was lying on the massage table.

"The massage?" Ryuuji looked up at the black haired model on the other side of the table from him.

"Yes," she looked down at Yuri's back, and at the bottle of cherry blossom scented massage oil in Ryuuji's hand, "I'm intrigued."

"I don't mind." Ryuuji turned to Yuri and asked, "Sensei, do you mind if I show Hisako how to do this?"

"Oh," Yuri responded from the padded hole in the massage table, "please do!"

On one of the leather couches around the massage table, Ami sat up on a few pillows to give her some height over the taller Suzume who was sitting in front of her on the edge of the couch. Ami was putting Suzume's hair into it's nightly braid even as Yukiko was doing the same for Yasuko on the couch on the other side of the massage table.

"I can't believe you can be okay with this." Suzume said as she watched Ryuuji instructing Hisako on the technique he used in giving a back massage.

"Are you still having a problem with Hisako?" Ami frowned.

"No, it's not that… well maybe a little." Suzume admitted, "It's just that… he's your boyfriend and he's touching other women."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Ami smiled as she asked the young teen.

"… no." Suzume grudgingly said.

"When you get one, there is going to be this issue of trust and jealousy." Ami told her, "The more you trust him, the less you will have issues with jealousy."

"So you trust him that much?" Suzume asked.

"Implicitly." Ami stated.

"Impilicity?" Suzume asked.

"It means completely or absolutely." Ami explained, "You might want to reconsider your decision to model full time instead of going to high school."

"Hmpf," Suzume frowned, but she had already been reconsidering. After all, it turned out that her idol Kawashima Ami really had gone back to high school and it looked like she had accomplished a lot in her life. She had amazing friends and an awesome boyfriend.

"Oh hey everyone," Ryuuji announced while Hisako's hands took a turn at working the knots out of Yuri's back, "I got a couple of text messages from our friends back home today."

Ami stopped working on the long strands of red hair in her hands. She wondered why they had done that. It was not in the plan… not part of the arrangement she had made with Minori and their other friends. Did something happen? Had Taiga come back? Ami looked across at Yasuko but her head was down as Yukiko worked on her long blond hair.

"For our new friends," Ryuuji gave a brief introduction, "Maya-chan and Nanako-chan are two of Ami's friends and Noto-kun and Koji-kun are two of my friends."

"Got it," Hisako said as she went back to working on Yuri's shoulders.

"So, it looks like Koji-kun and his girlfriend are going to Hokkaido soon, so their families can start planning their wedding." Ryuuji summarized as he started re-reading the long text message he got from Noto.

"What?" Yuri's voice came from under the table, "Is he marrying Maya-chan or Nanako-chan?"

"No," Ryuuji tried to remember the girl that he had only met that one time selling valentine chocolates with Taiga. "I don't think she goes to our school, but it seems like he's known her for a long time."

"Oh," Yuri moaned under the pressure and caress of Hisako's hands, "well, good for him."

"But, speaking of Maya-chan..." Ryuuji had a huge grin on his face… which was alarming poor Suzume who still wasn't used to some of Ryuuji's happy, yet terrifying expressions. "she said yes today to Noto-kun's proposal."

"What?" Ami and Yuri both exclaimed.

"And it looks like Koji-kun gave them a really nice engagement gift," Ryuuji went on, "Noto-kun, Maya-chan, and Nanako-chan will be going to the Izu Islands for a week in August!"

"Wow," Hisako commented, "that is nice!"

"Why isn't Koji-kun going?" Yuri asked.

"That's when he has to be in Hokkaido." Ryuuji answered. "But, he did send us this picture."

"Oh!" Hisako gasped, "That looks like a scene from a movie." There were similar comments from everyone that saw the picture. It would turn out that Koji had a pretty good eye for capturing a moment with a camera.

Noto, with his signature half-rim glasses and wearing a simple tee shirt had his arms around Maya, his hands lost from sight under her long red-brown hair flowing down her back. Maya's own arms were around Noto as well. Her head was inclined and their eyes were closed, but their lips were joined an a passionate kiss. There had been enough light in the room to make out all these details even though they were standing in front of a window overlooking the street traffic in their home town. The background light gave them a gauzy soft focus look that made the picture even more romantic. Also in the picture, though off to the side a bit was one other person looking at the two lovers, and looking a little sad.

"Wow," Suzume said when she saw the picture, "who is the girl with the purple hair in the yellow sun dress?"

"That's Kashii Nanako." Ami said, "she has beautiful purple eyes too, but she has no interest in modeling."

"How tall is she?" Suzume pressed.

"Around 160, I think." Ami remembered going through the physical exams with her friends. Ami had been so proud that she had hit 170 in her last year but it seemed that neither Maya nor Nanako had grown a bit since their last year's physical exam.

"Oh," Suzume sounded disheartened, "that's too bad. She's so cute."

While Suzume, Ami, and Ryuuji were talking about little Nanako, Hisako's hands felt a change in Yuri. At first Hisako thought she had finally got those rigid shoulders to finally relax but it felt different. When she bent close to the woman's head and heard the soft sob, she knew what it was.

"I'm going to spend a few more minutes working on these shoulders," Hisako said aloud, "why don't you guys head on up to the bath and we'll be along shortly."

"I could take over if your hands are getting tired," Ryuuji offered.

"I got this," Hisako smiled, "you go be with your girlfriend now."

"Thanks, Hisako!" Ryuuji said as he headed off to his room to change into the swim-wear. Everyone was heading off to one room or the other to change and soon Hisako was alone with Yuri.

Hisako leaned in close to Yuri and quietly told her, "They're all gone now."

"Thank you, Hisako." Yuri said as she got up from the massage table. Her face was a little puffy from being in the massage table face cutout for so long, but her eyes were puffy and red from recent tears. Hisako led her into the kitchen and ran hot water into a dish towel for Yuri to hold to her face.

"Want to talk about it?" Hisako asked. As she did, she had a moment of introspection. Just a few days ago she would have cared less if someone else was crying. Now, she wasn't just asking to be polite. She genuinely cared for these people. They were so unlike anyone else she had dealt with… at least for the past several years. And, well… except for Minami Suzume too. But even Suzume was coming around and realizing that Hisako had never been the villain that everyone said she was.

"It's the same old story, I suppose." Yuri tried to laugh, "I'll be thirty-one in less than a month and I still don't even have a boyfriend. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be happily married with a couple of kids by now."

"You can trust Ryuuji-kun, or I could try to help you." Hisako said as she looked at her hands.

"What do you mean?" Yuri asked.

"The other day, I helped Ryuuji by repeatedly slapping his face and yelling at him." Hisako explained.

"No no no," Yuri took a fearful step back from the black haired girl, "I meant, what did you mean about trusting Ryuuji-kun?"

"Ryuuji-kun gave Yasuko-chan a deadline for achieving your physical goals, right? Hisako asked.

"Yes," Yuri answered, "my last day is Wednesday."

"The day after tomorrow?" Hisako wanted her to clarify.

"Yes." Yuri confirmed.

"The day before the big shopping day and interviews when a photographer will be following us around everywhere and taking candid shots of Ami and all her friends." Hisako raised an eyebrow and continued, "And I'll bet he made certain that you will be in the entourage… Please tell me you see a pattern here."

"But..." Yuri's eyes opened in shock.

"Unless I completely misunderstand what Ryuuji-kun is up to, I think I can guess what he is setting you up for." Hisako put a hand on the older, but shorter woman's head and looked into her eyes when she told her, "Six months from now, when the article comes out, you are going to make your debut to everyone in Japan, and anywhere else the magazine has readers. You will be unique. In a magazine devoted to celebrities, you will be a sexy, yet wholesome schoolteacher. This is going to be a life changing event for you."

"Do you really think so?" Yuri asked hopefully.

"Do you want me to start slapping you now?" Hisako raised her other hand into position to deliver the first slap.

"No no!" Yuri cringed, but then smiled, "I believe you."

 


	14. Giza for Shopping

**Wednesday evening, July 29 - Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

"Tomorrow is the big day." Ryuuji looked around the table at everyone there. The expressions were as diverse as the people in the room. Yasuko and Suzume were clearly excited, enough so that Ryuuji worried about them getting any sleep tonight. Yukiko also looked excited, but was more subdued… or at least controlled about her exuberance than Yasuko and Suzume. To Ami, this was nothing. She looked exhausted from the last several days of shooting at the studio and Ryuuji had no concerns about her getting enough sleep. Hisako looked worried and Yuri looked scared. These last two, he would need to confront and comfort.

"Suzume-chan," Ryuuji asked the tall red head with the sea green eyes, "will your sister be able to join us?" Ryuuji had asked the bullet-train stewardess to join the party but her work schedule had to be taken into account.

"Onee-chan still has to work a morning run on the Shinkansen, but she said she can meet us at lunch." Suzume sounded hopeful that their schedules would work out so that her sister could join them all. Despite a few philosophical differences on how much responsibility and freedom a middle schooler should have, she really did love her sister. Besides, it was due to her sister that she had been introduced to her idol just a few days ago.

"Excellent," Ryuuji was pleased, "we will start off in the Ginza shopping district and meet Minami-san at a restaurant in that area for lunch.” Turning to Yukiko he asked, “Yamada-san, can you recommend a place?"

"Do you like tonkatsu?" Yukiko asked the room. There were smiles all around but Yasuko spoke up.

"Oooooh!" She said cheerfully, "Who doesn't like tonkatsu?"

"Then we should meet your sister at Bairin's." Yukiko said, "There are more elaborate places in Ginza, if you would prefer."

"No no," Ryuuji didn't want to take this rowdy bunch into an elaborate place. Besides, he may not have the budget for one of those elaborate places anyway. "Elaborate may take too long."

"Of course," Yukiko smiled at his response. She looked across at Ryuuji and wondered how much longer he would continue to impress her. She knew exactly why he wanted to avoid an elaborate place and was impressed with his diplomatic answer. Casually glancing around the table, she looked at the same two that had given Ryuuji concern. She could see that Hisako was concerned about what Ryuuji had planned for tomorrow. Yukiko had an idea of what drove that concern. If she was right, it was probable that Hisako would try to leave during the night rather than face what was in store if she followed Ryuuji. Yukiko was looking back at Ryuuji and wondering how he was going to deal with that problem when her eyes met his. She realized then that he had been watching her.

Ryuuji was answering a question from Suzume about what kinds of places they might go to in Ginza but he was watching Yukiko. She kept the same sanguine smile on her face but she had just given first Yuri, then Hisako a rather evaluative glance and was looking back at him now. She was seeing the same problems he was. Perhaps she could be of some help with this.

"All right everyone," Ryuuji got their attention, "Tomorrow is a big day so let's get everyone up to the bath for a little while before we get to sleep." There were cheers around the room as most everyone was eager to get up to the lovely hot bath on the roof of the hotel. "Sensei," Ryuuji called to Yuri, signaling that he needed to speak to her privately, "a moment?

"Kurosawa-san," Yukiko called out a moment later, "if I could have a moment of your time?"

 _We would make a formidable team, you and I._ Yukiko thought as she glanced at Ryuuji.

.

* * *

"Koigakubo-sensei," Ryuuji asked the timid teacher, "are you still scared of me?"

"No," Yuri was shocked, "I know I used to be… intimidated. But after getting to know you I haven't felt that way since last year."

"Good," Ryuuji took a deep breath, "then if I ask you to do something, you would do it because you wanted to. Not because you were scared of me?"

"Of course." Yuri tried to reassure her fearsome looking but kind hearted student. "What do you need me to do?"

"I know that Hisako is nervous about tomorrow. I think it's because she still feels guilty about what happened with Ami over a year ago." Ryuuji told her.

"Um… okay." Yuri agreed with his assessment, but she knew more. Unlike Ryuuji, she had a habit of reading celebrity magazines and watching the programs that kept up with the rumors and stories in the celebrity world. Yuri knew what kind of stories had been printed about poor Hisako but she also knew that Hisako had done regrettable things that just reinforced that image. Taking her along was going to be taking a big chance. If she had one of her meltdowns again…

"The thing is," Ryuuji explained, "if everyone is having a good time and being supportive of each other, I think she will be okay."

"I agree," Yuri asked, "what can I do?"

"Relax, enjoy yourself, and have a good time." Ryuuji paused, "But, help me keep an eye on Hisako. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" Yuri said confidently. She wasn't sure what Ryuuji was going to ask of her, but this would be an easy task. As a teacher, she was used to watching out for everyone in the group, so this should be second nature for her.

"Thank you, sensei!" Ryuuji bowed. He tried not to smile but he was pretty sure his little act worked. When tomorrow came, Yuri would be more attentive to Hisako and would be thinking less about the photographer following their party around and the possibility that a picture of her would end up in one of the celebrity magazines that she read.

.

* * *

"Kurosawa-san, what do you think of Ryuuji-sama?" Yukiko had pulled Hisako into the kitchen and poured them both a glass of red wine. She had noticed that the tall black haired girl was partial to the fruity red wines.

"He is a good man." Hisako sipped the delicious wine that Yukiko had handed her, "He should get out of this industry before it ruins him."

"I don't believe he plans on making this a career." Yukiko stated.

"I'm not so sure," Hisako looked down at her drink, "he talked to me about being my manager even after this trip is over."

"Ah that," Yukiko smiled, "he also talked to young Suzume-chan." Yukiko watched the taller girl look up from her drink in surprise, "Trust me, these plans are just for the next four months. Eight months at the most."

"Why eight months?" Hisako was intrigued.

"He will be starting at university next April." Yukiko smiled, "He will no longer have time for this job."

"But…” _B_ _ut what about me?_ Hisako's fears seemed justified. He didn't really want her around. He would desert her just like everyone else did. He would use her while she still had some value for Ami, then…

"He doesn't even want to be doing this for four months." Yukiko could see Hisako's agitation and decided to tell her the truth.

"What?" Hisako thought she meant more to Ryuuji and Ami than to be lied to and forgotten as soon as they left town.

"He is still a teenager you know," Yukiko told the stricken girl, "he is aware of his inexperience and is constantly worried that his lack of knowledge and skills in this job will cause you some difficulty."

"Huh?" Hisako was stunned. That didn't sound like Ryuuji at all. He was always so assured and made everyone around him feel at ease. Hisako's disbelief was building as she remembered instance after instance where he had been the ideal of a confident manager. Then she remembered the incident in the bathroom. _So that's how it is._ _He co_ _u_ _ld be solid as a rock for_ _Ami… or even for me_ _, but his own self doubt was tearing him apart._

"He doesn't plan to desert you or Suzume-chan, you know." Yukiko revealed, "he wants to find a professional manager that will be able to give you the kind of support you will need when your career starts taking off."

"I don't want a professional manager!" Hisako growled, "They're all lying, filthy, scumbags! I want him!" Realizing what she had just said, she added, "...to be my manager. I want him to be my manager. I don't want anybody else. I don't want a professional scumbag."

"Well," Yukiko smiled, "I suggest you be on your very best behavior tomorrow."

"Eh?" Hisako didn't see how that comment made any sense with the manager discussion.

"Go beyond doing what he asks of you on tomorrow's outing." Yukiko explained, "Anticipate what it is that he is really looking for, and do it before he has to ask. Show him that you are dependable and easy to work with. Make him regret giving up on the occupation. Or at the very least, make him feel that any manager he might choose as a replacement will need to be the absolute very best for his charges."

"Go beyond..." Hisako was running through the words again and thinking of how she could accomplish this feat. Looking into Yukiko's eyes she begged, "Will you help me? I think I could do it if you help me. I'm not always good at reading people, so… Please?"

"Yes, yes of course," Yukiko put her hand on the taller girl's shoulder, "I will do what I can but remember the most important thing he wants us to do tomorrow is to just have fun and act natural. If you can remember to do that, then you can count on me to help you out with anything you might miss."

"Thank you, Yamada-san!" Hisako vowed to give it her best. With Yamada-san's help, she felt that she could do it.

.

**Thursday morning, July 30 - Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

"Do you have what I need?" The reporter was wearing sunglasses as if that could disguise who he really was. Ryuuji couldn't criticize him though, he was wearing his mirrored Wayfarers indoors, so... The two of them were meeting in the hotel lobby and, besides a few employees, they were the only people there. The lobby was looking much better now. There was still a bit of cleaning up to do but the debris on the floor had been cleared away and the holes in the walls were gone. There was still the smell of construction dust in the air but cosmetically, the place had been cleaned up quite nicely.

"I have more." Ryuuji handed over a document envelope and watched as the anxious reporter opened it and looked through the contents. He was expecting to find three or four signed forms from Ryuuji and Ami and a few other 'friends' that would be tagging along. Those forms would give their permission for today's photo session and interview for his magazine. Instead, he found eight signed forms. "What?"

"Ami has a few more people in her entourage than she did the last time I talked with you." Ryuuji was trying his best to not be nervous and to sound confident. "I hope you don't mind."

"Well, of course this interview is supposed to be all about Kawashima Ami, so I don't know if we can use any of this." the reporter mumbled as he looked through the documents. He read off the name on the first document he came to, "Takasu Yasuko..."

"My mother." Ryuuji stated, "Although everyone calls her either Yasuko or onee-chan."

"Interesting," the reporter lost a little respect for the young man that felt that he needed to bring his mother along with him. He moved her form to the back and read the next name, "Koigakubo Yuri?"

"She is our high school teacher and tutor on this trip." Ryuuji said.

"High School… so Kawashima really did go back to school then?" the reporter asked. He would have some questions for this one. Was Kawashima really in her class? How long has she been going to school there? Was she really attending or just a student in name only? More questions came to mind as he moved that document to the back and looked at the next one in the stack, "Yamada Yukiko…" He had heard that name before. His brow furrowed as he tried to recall. His expression changed as he looked at the name on the form again. Turning to Ryuuji he challenged, "Not the heiress of the Yamada family?"

"The same." Ryuuji was cheering inside that the desired impact had been made but he was doing his best to stay cool with his expressions and answers.

"You're joking." the reporter accused.

"I'm not. As a matter of fact, this..." Ryuuji spread his hands wide and looked around the room, "...is her hotel."

"Eh?" the reporter took a step back and looked around the lobby for the first time with any real interest. It was obvious to him now that this place was going through a major renovation and was being made to look much more luxurious than it had in years past. He couldn't help but smile now. This kid had made a mistake. The forms were signed and the interview was completely up to him. It would be no problem to turn this into an interview of the future hotel and restaurant heiress. Trying to remember, he could not recall if Yamada Yukiko had ever allowed an interview before. Then again… neither had Kawashima Ami for that matter. All previous interviews with her had been through her agency. He knew he would be thinking about how to handle these two but he went to the next form and read the name aloud to keep up the appearance that he was still interested in making this all about Kawashima Ami. "Kurosawa Hisako… Kurosawa Hisako!" This was beyond belief, he started to think this kid was trying to manipulate him into something foolish. He looked up into Ryuuji's mirror-shades in complete disbelief.

"Yes," Ryuuji downplayed, "a charming story of old friends reunited." He watched the reporter's incredulous expression. Ryuuji could see that the man was giving up any attempt to maintain a pokerface in this discussion.

"Listen kid," he sounded angry, "you better not be trying to play me. There is no way Kawashima Ami would be within a kilometer of that… that..."

"They are upstairs having breakfast together as we speak," Ryuuji told him, "and please try not to say anything disparaging about Ami's friends. She won’t like it, and neither will I."

"You're saying you won't let me publish whatever I want?" The reporter was still angry and this was not making him feel any better.

"Not at all." Ryuuji tried to eradicate the misunderstanding, "you can have your magazine print whatever you like. You can write a piece that destroys their careers or you can throw the whole thing away if you don't think it is worthy of an article. My hope is that you will take this interview with an open mind and realize that the entire industry has been wrong about Kawashima Ami, and more importantly they have been wrong about her friend Kurosawa Hisako. They have all been wrong for over a year and your article has the potential to set things right."

"It does?"

"Yes," Ryuuji said, "I understand that your article won't come out until next spring, but we are all willing to promise not to give any interviews to anyone else until your story comes out."

"Oh..." the reporter was no longer angry. Neither did he think of Ryuuji as a kid anymore. So far, this whole thing was being well played. If he could trust Ryuuji and all these women to abide by that promise, this looked to be a major story. His head spinning a bit, he went back to reviewing forms. The next two were Ryuuji's and Kawashima Ami's, so he moved them to the back and went on to the next one. "Minami Suzume."

"She is a new friend of Ami's and a new model herself," Ryuuji considered, "however… there may be a problem."

"Oh?" The reporter thought that maybe it had been too much to ask that this inexperienced young man could have wrapped everything up neatly on the first try.

"She is only fourteen." Ryuuji explained, "She will be fifteen by the time the story comes out in the magazine, but I'm not sure what restrictions you might have with age."

"As long as we have written consent of her legal guardian," the reporter scratched his head trying to remember her name, "it shouldn't be a problem."

"I have signed here as her manager," Ryuuji pointed out, and we should have the signature of her legal guardian before the interview starts."

"I see," the reporter would run everything past his legal guys while they were all out on their shopping spree, but it looked good to him. So far, the underage model was the biggest concern. He hoped this young man could really come through with the promised signature. Turning to the last form, he read, "Minami Umeko… don't tell me..."

"She is not another model," Ryuuji told the skeptical man, "she is a stewardess on the bullet train's green car. And, I am hoping, has the guardianship to sign for her younger sister."

"Ah," the reporter looked through the forms one last time to make sure he didn't miss anything, "let's hope you're right." As he was putting the forms back into the envelope, the chime of an elevator arriving was heard in the lobby.

"That would be the ladies." Ryuuji turned with the reporter to watch everyone spilling out of the elevator.

The reporter looked around quickly and spotted his photographer in an out-of-the-way place quietly snapping photos as they came spilling out of the elevator. Knowing that three of the people coming out of the elevator would be a mother, a schoolteacher, and a hotel manager, he expected to see three matronly chaperons and three younger models. He was stunned when he realized that the first three that stepped off the elevator were not the models. A beautiful blond flanked by two lovely ladies with red-brown and dark brown hair came off the elevator first. They all seemed to be having a good time but the blond looked like she could have a good time in any setting imaginable. The smile on her face was infectious and the reporter couldn't help but smile after looking at her.

The photographer was thrilled with this first shot of the red, the blond, and the brunette all laughing as they stepped out of the elevator together. When they cleared the door, he gasped as the selection on the next three was just as good. He knew the target for today was the bluenette in the middle, but the vibrant red head on her left and the girl with waist length raven black hair on her right would make for another spectacular picture.

"This is supposed to be a surprise from the publisher," the reporter stared at all the beautiful ladies that were coming toward Ryuuji and him in the middle of the lobby as he handed Ryuuji a small gift box.

Opening the gift box, Ryuuji found a stack of gift cards. Some of them had name brands on them. Others had store names on them. One had the name of the magazine on it.

"The publisher is not telling you where to shop or what brands to buy," the reporter said as quickly as he could before the wave of lovely ladies descended on them, "but anything you use those cards on will be free with the understanding that you allow the card owner to contact you..."

"I get it," Ryuuji sort of got it but he would run this by Yukiko before using any of those cards.

.

* * *

Soon, the entire group was in the circle driveway at the front of the hotel packing into a small bus with the Le Dauphin livery painted on it. The photographer was starting to panic. His instructions had been to follow them without being seen but he had been under the impression that they would be going to local stores or taking a bus. Someone suddenly leaned out of the bus and looked in his direction. His photographer's reflexes had the picture faster than he realized that the scary man was talking to him.

"Hey," Ryuuji called out to the photographer, "You coming or what?"

"Huh?" the photographer responded, "I'm supposed to stay out of sight."

"Oh?" Ryuuji couldn't help but smile, "How fast can you run?"

"Where are you going?" the photographer thought about taking a taxi and catching up with them.

"Ginza." Ryuuji said. He knew something about the Ginza district. He knew it had a lot of stores and it was the home of Tokyo Station, the central hub of Japan's bullet trains. Other than that, he had no idea how big it was or how complicated it would be to find someone there. But he imagined it wouldn't be easy.

"I..." the reporter found Ryuuji's smile to be seriously unnerving. He really didn't want to get on that bus, but he had a job to do. If he lived through it, the pictures he could get on the bus from such close range would be worth the discomfort he felt by just being around this guy. "If it's okay with you, I'll join you on the bus."

"Sit here for a moment." Ryuuji said as he pulled the nervous photographer down into the bench seat next to him. "You know which one Kawashima Ami is," Ryuuji said quietly to the reporter as he changed his lenses, "but everyone here has signed forms that allow you to take their picture as well."

"Oh, thanks," the reporter felt odd hearing good news coming from a guy that looked like he was about to kill everyone on the bus.

"Just one caution for you," Ryuuji warned the photographer, "the red head with the sea green eyes is also a model but she is still underage so just be careful."

"Um… thanks." the photographer tried to digest the warning. If he hadn't seen Ryuuji's face, he could easily have taken it as a helpful, even friendly, caution from one professional to another. But having seen Ryuuji's face, both through the lens and now up close and personal, those same words seemed like an ominous threat with death and dismemberment being the least of his worries.

Ryuuji could sense the man's discomfort and from long experience, he knew what it was. Without saying a word he got up and moved to sit next to Yukiko. He passed her the box of credit cards and told her what the reporter had told him. Not knowing anything about this part of the business, he told her that he was counting on her to decide if they should accept any of these cards and if so, which ones.

The photographer was glad that the scary man was not sitting next to him anymore. He had moved down the bus to sit next to the dark brown haired beauty with the ice blue eyes. He took a picture of the two of them together as Ryuuji was passing a small gift box to Yukiko. A clear laugh got the photographer's attention and he snapped the red head minor sharing a laugh with the blond and the target, Kawashima. He smiled knowing that he had just taken another fantastic shot. His concern about getting a shot good enough to be the front page of the article was gone. Now he felt sorry for the guys that would have the job of deciding which picture to put on the cover of the magazine.

.

**Thursday morning, July 30 – Tokyo: Giza shopping district**

* * *

The bus stopped and the lady with the ice blue eyes seemed to be leading the way. The first place they went into was a lingerie store.

"I..." Ryuuji stopped in his tracks as he realized what kind of store this was, "I think I'll wait out here."

"Noooo Ryuuuuji!" the red head wailed as she latched onto his arm and tried to pull him in, "We want to model for you!"

"Yeah," Ryuuji didn't budge but he saw Ami and Yasuko getting ready to help pull him in and he said, "Suzume-chan, you are fourteen." He said it loud enough that Ami and the rest of them should hear, "I'll be glad to let you model anything else for me, but not lingerie." The comment worked and stopped Ami and Yasuko in their tracks.

"Awww," Suzume pouted, but suddenly smiled and asked, "anything else?"

"Yes," Ryuuji agreed, "anything but that."

"Swimsuits next!" Suzume cheered and Ryuuji winced as he knew he had been set up by a middle schooler.

"Not next." Yukiko's comment made Suzume stop in mid cheer. “We should wait until after lunch so your sister can be with us too."

"Yay!" Suzume resumed her cheerful mood.

"I… guess I'll wait out here with you." the photographer said uncomfortably.

"Good idea." Ryuuji agreed.

Standing off from the entrance to the store, Ryuuji and the photographer watched as curious shoppers started looking into the store where so much laughter and so many cheers were coming from. Ryuuji could distinctly hear his mother's laugh and also recognized Suzume's special cheer. At least twice he knew he heard Koigakubo-sensei's screech at being tickled… probably by Yasuko. They were done within an hour but by then, the store was packed and they emerged one at a time through the crowd.

The photographer snapped pictures of each happy girl as she carried her branded bag. With the smiles and smirks on their faces, it looked like they all had a routine they had agreed on. First the buxom blond came out and went right to Ryuuji. She handed over her bag for him to carry and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Right behind her was the lady with the long red-brown hair. Although she didn't kiss him, she handed over her bag and patted him on the head. The photographer was stunned that the evil looking man not only put up with that display of affection but seemed to be happy with it. The dark brown hair with the ice blue eyes was next. She handed over her bag and kissed him on the other cheek. Interestingly, after the kiss - her smile looked even more sinister than his when she checked his face to make sure he was blushing appropriately.

There was now quite a crowd gathered around the outside of the store. They were watching this progression of pretty girls coming out of the lingerie store and kissing the scary man, one after another. Many of them had clapped when the last one had made him blush. Now a tall red head was coming for him and the clapping stopped to see what she was going to do. Like the others, she handed over her bag and went in to kiss him, but she turned and kissed him on the lips. It was a chaste kiss, but it was a kiss on the lips nonetheless and the crowd reacted with applause and a few whistles. Next up was a raven haired beauty with purple eyes. The crowd hushed as she approached, handed off her bag and went in for her kiss. The applause and whistling went up a notch as they saw the tall girl with long black hair give the scary man a passionate kiss. She kept her hands to herself but the kiss definitely went beyond what would be safe for friends and family. Many in the crowd began to speculate on who this guy was or if the last girl had been his girlfriend. Such speculations were revised when the blue haired girl with the violet eyes arrived. Like the others, she handed over her bag and went in for a kiss. Unlike the others, her arms went around the scary man as she kissed him. He was different too. Even with all the bags dangling from his elbows to his wrists, he wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss.

This was a surprise to the photographer. He had been told that the scary guy was Kawashima Ami's manager and possibly bodyguard, but this was something else. Either Kawashima Ami was the kind of model that let her manager get away with anything, or this scary guy was also her boyfriend. He got a few shots of them kissing with the applauding crowd in the background before they broke the kiss. Then the ice blue eyes were already leading the charge to the next store. Fortunately for Ryuuji, before he followed the girls into the next store, a man in a Le Dauphin uniform came to take the packages back to the bus.

They were only able to hit two more stores before it was time to meet Umeko at Bairin's for lunch. At each store, they had managed to make a production out of trying on clothes and modeling them for Ryuuji. Gradually, the photographer was less intimidated by this man. Much of that had to do with how easily these women seemed to be able to make him blush. Indeed, a few times the poor man was blushing so hard it looked like a health hazard. Other than the fun they were having with the scary man, another big change was what happened to the one they called Yuri-chan. The photographer was glad he got to see this change. The original plan was that he would be taking candid pictures and staying out of their way as much as possible. He had not planned on getting close enough to hear conversations or know their names. But, that plan had been scrapped before they ever left the hotel. The woman with the red-brown hair and matching eyes had been called both Yuri-chan and sensei by her friends. When they came out of the first clothing store, the buxom blond, that most were calling onee-chan, made a big show of throwing away Yuri-chan's old clothes and making her wear her new clothes out of the store.

As far as the photographer was concerned, onee-chan knew what she was doing. The clothes that Yuri-chan had been wearing before did not fit well. They were baggy on her and looked uncomfortable. Even he, a professional photographer, did not anticipate how good Yuri-chan would look with the right clothes on. It was an amazing transformation. With his professional eye, he guessed she was between 160 and 165 centimeters in height, so she would probably be too short for a professional model like Kawashima-san or Minami-san, but in this group, she was a beauty among beauties. She did not look out of place in the company of other models at all.

When they met for lunch, Ryuuji had insisted that the photographer eat with them. There was cheering and a happy hugging reunion when the shorter black haired girl arrived. At first, the photographer couldn't see how they were supposed to be sisters, but when they both turned to face him, he could see their matching sea green eyes. This too would make another great picture.

The reporter had always heard of Bairin's, but had never been there. Looking around, it was not what he had imagined. Although the place was small, it was friendly and the smell of the cooking tonkatsu was mouth watering. Ryuuji stood at the counter and attentively watched the preparation of the food as everyone else grabbed the tables in the back of the small dining area. The conversation was lively around the table. Much of the talk focused on filling the older Minami sister in on what her little sister had been up to for the last week. The food arrived in short order and soon everyone was finding out that the tonkatsu tasted as good as it smelled. Ryuuji made a point of thanking Yukiko for her suggestion.

The girls were only able to hit four more stores in the afternoon before it was time to head back to the hotel. They were actually heading back a little early since Ryuuji didn't want everyone exhausted for the interviews. Minami Suzume pouted and said she could go on, but she was the first one to fall asleep on the bus. The photographer got another splendid shot of Suzume-chan with her head in her sister's lap. Her sister's hand rested on her red hair but she too was asleep and leaning on the one called Hisako-chan. Hisako had her arm around the sleeping Umeko and was holding the shorter girl's head to her shoulder. Looking at the display on his camera and back up at the live girls, he noticed how the two black haired girls looked more like sisters than the two that actually were. Well… when they had their eyes closed anyway. Hisako-chan's purple eyes didn't match the actual sister's sea green eyes at all. Zooming in on Hisako's face, he couldn't tell if the half smile and the look in her eyes spoke to him of happiness or sadness, or some quixotic combination of both.

He got another shot of Kawashima Ami leaning against Mr. Manager and holding his hand with finger's meshed. The smile looked genuine on her half-asleep face, or she was a real good actress. Then again, she was the daughter of a real good actress, so who could tell. Looking at the image on his camera he hoped it was real. The world was a warmer and better place when smiles like that were real.

"You should get that shot too," Yukiko said as she sat down next to the photographer. She was pointing to the seat where Yuri-chan was resting her head in her onee-chan's lap. The red-brown haired lady's expression was of such happiness that she looked like a little girl feeling safe and at peace with her beloved big sister. Yasuko had a smile that spoke of love and tenderness that reminded the photographer more of a mother's expression than that of a big sister.

"You're right, thanks." he said as he took the shot and got up to move around the inside of the bus to get more shots with better angles. Sitting back down next to Yukiko he told her, "I really appreciate everyone letting me get close to do my work today. I was supposed to shadow you and stay out of sight, but all of you really opened up and I got much better shots this way. Of course… the magazine may not like it."

"Why not?" Yukiko asked.

"They were supposed to be candid shots and since most of you are models..."

"Only three of us are models." Yukiko smiled.

"Eh?" the photographer was a little surprised. He knew Mr. Manager and Umeko were not models, but the rest…

"I am a hotel manager," she told the man without pointing out who went with what label, "others include a mother, a schoolteacher, and of course, the stewardess that you already know about."

"Well," the photographer was surprised about one of them being a schoolteacher, "It isn't so unusual for a model to be a mother."

"I don't mean a mother of an infant." Yukiko smiled at the photographer's bewilderment, "I mean someone here is the mother of someone else here."

"No," he said in disbelief, but even as he did, his eyes and his camera went back to Yuri and Yasuko. He took another shot and looked at the smile again. It was still there – the love, kindness, and tenderness of a mother. If it hadn't been for that smile, he never would have believed that the bouncy young blond was old enough to be the mother of anyone here. Looking over at the two sisters, he knew that the red head was the youngest in the group, but her older sister was working as a stewardess on the bullet train and that wasn't a job a teenager could get, was it? Ami's mother was famous so it couldn't be her. Yuri-chan? Perhaps, but then who was the schoolteacher? So if Yuri-chan was the schoolteacher, that left only Yukiko and the scary manager. Hotel manager was another job he doubted a teenager could get so that just left… Come to think of it, he did remember once or twice hearing Mr. Manager calling Yuri-chan, sensei. Turning back to Yukiko he asked, "Surely, you're not suggesting Yasuko-san is the mother of Mr. Manager?"

"Very good," Yukiko blew his mind when she told him, "their last name is Takasu."

  



	15. Iejima

**Thursday evening, July 30 - Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

"Sorry I had to run out on you during the last part of the interview, did everything go okay?" Ryuuji said to Ami as he and Yukiko came back into the room.

"Yeah," Ami was a little annoyed that he had left since he knew she was nervous about doing a live interview. But she knew Ryuuji, and she guessed it would have to be something pretty important for him to leave her alone like that. "He didn't really ask any hard questions after you left. I think he knew I was getting tired." Then looking up at Ryuuji she asked, "What was the big emergency?"

"Actually, there were about six phone calls." Ryuuji held up his phone, "All of them seemed to be an emergency of one kind or another. What do you want first, the good news or the bad news?"

"Ugh," Ami groaned, "today has been so nice. Does there have to be bad news?"

"Let's hear the bad news first so we can end on the good news." Yasuko suggested.

"Okay," Ami agreed, "let's go with that."

"Someone drove a truck through an electrical substation down the street from the hot springs hotel we were supposed to go to and it is closed for at least a week until power can be restored." Ryuuji told the room. True, this only affected Yasuko, Yuri, Ami and himself, but the whole room offered their condolences. "The good news is that Yamada-san had a talk with them and they agreed to move our reservation to this winter. They have openings now so let me know and I can add you to the reservation list."

"What?" everyone gasped at once. Then there was cheering all around.

"If any of you already have things scheduled for this winter break, let me know and I'll try to schedule this so we can all go." Ryuuji said.

"We..." Hisako couldn't believe this was happening, "we're all invited?"

"Hisako-chan," Yukiko chided the taller girl, "when are you going to get it through your thick head that this friendship is genuine and they are not just using us for a publicity stunt?"

"Ah!" Hisako gasped.

"You didn't really think that did you Hisako-chan?" Yasuko asked.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." Hisako looked down at her hands, "It's just that I haven't had any friends… any real friends in so long..." Everyone was stunned when it was Suzume to be the first to move over and pull Hisako into a comforting hug.

"Hisako-senpai," Suzume said, "there's been something I've been wanting to ask you for a while now."

"Um… okay?" Hisako said.

"Will you forgive me for thinking you were a terrible person?" Suzume asked, "Will you forgive me for hating you after reading all the terrible things that other people said you did? Will you forgive me for being childish, and spoiled, and careless, and thoughtless, and mean?"

"Yes." Hisako didn't feel like she should forgive all of this. Not because she felt any ill-will toward the red headed teen, but because she still felt like she was that person that everyone said she was. "But… I never thought you were mean."

"Wow, you can forgive all that?" Suzume said in mock surprise. "You're a pretty amazing person, you know that? Will an amazing person like you be a friend to a reformed spoiled, careless brat like me?"

"Before you answer that," Suzume's sister Umeko butted in, "I don't know if she is really all that 'reformed', you know?"

"HEY!" Suzume glared at her laughing sister.

"Heh heh heh," Hisako laughed as she held onto the teens arms that were still wrapped around her, "I would be your friend even if you aren't reformed at all."

"Good!" Suzume cheered, "Now all you have to do is replace my old onee-chan. The other one is too short and defective."

"Hey!" Umeko returned the glare to her younger, but taller sister. Everyone else had a laugh at the sister's antics before Yukiko got everyone's attention again.

"You should tell them the other bad news and good news." Yukiko told Ryuuji.

"Ah yes," Ryuuji tried to look as solemn as possible but that was about as difficult for his face to pull off as a happy look. Grim was as close as he could get. "The talent agency that you are all registered with now called me. Hisako-chan, Suzume-chan, and Ami have another modeling gig starting the middle of next week. Yasuko, Yuri-sensei, and I are expected to go along as their support."

"Really!" Hisako was excited. She had not expected to get more work until the winter studio sessions or even until after the article came out next spring. Ryuuji answered her question with a nod.

"But," Yuri said, "I've already got you through all your summer homework. You don't need me to tag along anymore."

"Wow," Yukiko said to Ryuuji, "I can't believe I'm going to get to use this line again." Then turning to Yuri she said, "Yuri-chan, when are you going to get it through your thick head that this friendship is genuine and they are not just using us for a publicity stunt?"

"I never thought… oh." Yuri caught the meaning that Yukiko was trying to get across to her.

"That aside," Ryuuji added, "Ami and I are planning to go to university. Additional tutoring could be useful."

"And..." Suzume blushed, "I've decided to go to high school too. So I could use your help getting ready for the tests to get into a good high school."

"Okay, I'm in." Yuri admitted defeat, "Besides, I wouldn't mind coming back to this place." Turning to Yukiko she said, "You have a very nice hotel, Yamada-san."

"Thank you, Koigakubo-san." Yukiko then told them with a mock frown, "Unfortunately, you won't be coming back here."

"What?" Yuri asked.

"Why not?" Ami had enjoyed the stay at this hotel too.

"The shoot is in Okinawa." Ryuuji said with his sinister smile.

"What?" Everyone but Yukiko reacted.

.

**Friday morning, July 31 – Bullet Train: Green Car**

* * *

"Every time you get on this train your group gets a little bigger." Umeko smiled to Ryuuji as they took their reserved seats at the tables facing each other.

"Are you sure you're okay with letting your little sister stay with us until the shoot in Okinawa?" Ryuuji asked the older sister.

"Honestly," Umeko said, "I'm more concerned about her going to the shoot in Okinawa than I am about staying with you. She's never been out of the country before."

"Okinawa isn't _out of the country_." Ryuuji reminded her.

"You know what I mean." Umeko sometimes thought of any place a Japanese bullet train couldn't reach as _out of the country_.

"Speaking of which," Ryuuji had a look of concern, "does Suzume-chan have a valid passport?"

"No," Umeko wondered where this was going, "why?"

"The talent agency already informed me that, if their popularity goes up like they think it will, then those three will likely see invitations to work in Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and The Philippines." Ryuuji saw the shock in Umeko's eyes but felt it fair to tell her the rest, "They may even need to travel to Australia and America, possibly in a year from now. Here is a list of places they may be asked to go to later." Ryuuji handed over the list and watched the sea-green eyes open in wonder and a bit of fear as she thought about her little sister going to all these places.

"Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Stockholm, Oslo, Vienna… Ryuuji-sama, this can't be right! My little sister is just doing this as a hobby. It's something fun to her, she's still in school… she can't be thinking about… going so far away." Umeko appealed to Ryuuji.

"I can't say that I'm thrilled with the idea either." Ryuuji admitted, "That is an awful lot of travel for someone trying to do well in their classes." His comment was for himself and Ami, as well as young Suzume-chan." Hisako was past all the worry about classes, but the talent agency had made it clear that the combination of Ami, Hisako, and Suzume was what made them such a marketable combination. Ryuuji understood that without Ami and Suzume, Hisako would not be getting those offers.

"It's just so far away." Umeko said.

"She should still be able to go to the local events in Japan, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Manila though, right?"

"I..." Umeko was still stunned from looking at that list, "I'll think about it." She wanted to scream, _Seoul, Hong Kong, and Manila are not local!_

.

* * *

When Ryuuji took his aisle seat next to Ami, everyone could see that he was upset about something. There were glances between Yasuko and Ami, after they both shrugged their shoulders, the glances went out to Suzume and Hisako. Yuri was already asleep with her head leaning on Yasuko's shoulder. None of them knew what was bothering Ryuuji. Yasuko was about to wake Yuri up when Umeko came by their seats and leaned in to speak to her little sister in the window seat.

"The answer is no." Umeko hissed to Suzume, "I forbid it, so just get it out of your mind!"

"Umeko-san," Ryuuji told the fuming older sister, "I haven't told her anything about it yet."

"Even so," Umeko turned back to her stunned sister, "when Mr. Manager does tell you about it, the answer is no and that's final!" Umeko then stood up and stormed off to retrieve a pillow for another passenger on the train.

"What the heck was that all about?" Yasuko asked.

"Just what do you plan on doing to her little sister?" Hisako asked.

"No no no no!" Ryuuji responded to Hisako's comment first. Then he said to everyone else, "I might have screwed up."

"What did you do?" Ami took his hand to give him support.

"I sent the pictures from that photographer to your agency and they sent them out to producers."

"That's not screwing up," Hisako said, "that is what a good manager is supposed to do."

"Yeah," Ryuuji pulled the paper out of his pocket and put it on the small table between the two sets of seats. "that's what I read, so I just did it without thinking too much about it."

"So, what's the problem?" Hisako asked, "did they see me in the pictures and decide they don't want to work with Ami and Suzume any more?" Suzume, Ami, and Yasuko all looked at Hisako severely for suggesting something like that. Suzume was about to state that she didn't want to work with anyone that was mean to Hisako anyway, when Ryuuji answered them.

"No, the problem is that there is a lot of interest in getting the Red, Black, and Blue team now."

"Red, Black, and Blue?" Yasuko asked.

"Yeah," pointing at their hair, Ryuuji said, "Suzume-chan, Hisako-chan, and Ami."

"How much interest?" Ami and Hisako asked at the same time. Ryuuji pointed at the paper on the table.

"Within the next six months, they expect to see offers from all over the western pacific from Seoul to Manila." he summarized for them, "The six months after that, America and Australia. A year from now, Europe."

"I'm not concerned," Hisako reclined in her seat, "agencies always paint rosy predictions. I wouldn't worry too much about it." That gave Ryuuji a little hope but the look of real concern in Ami's eyes told him that Hisako's was not a shared experience. Looking over at the teenager on the window seat, Ryuuji flinched at the purely murderous expression on the red head's face.

"For...bid?" Suzume growled through clenched teeth. Suzume was incensed. She wouldn't speak to her sister for the duration of the trip. When it was time to leave, she departed without acknowledging her sister at all.

Yasuko promised Umeko that she would take care of her little sister but everyone was saddened to see the siblings fight at the end of such a nice trip.

.

**Friday morning, July 31 – Text Messages**

* * *

**AMI** : We're coming back earlier than expected. When are you guys leaving for Uzi?

 **AMI** : I meant Uzi.

 **NANAKO** : Uzi?

 **AMI** : DYAC!

 **AMI** : I meant IZU.

 **NANAKO** : LOL

 **MAYA** : LOL. We won't be leaving until August 7. When will you be arriving?

 **AMI** : I should be at my house by 3PM. I've missed you so much!

 **MAYA** : Are you sure it's okay? I thought… you know…

 **AMI** : HE is doing much better now. Better than I had hoped.

 **NANAKO** : That's great! You're a miracle worker Ami.

 **MAYA** : Can we bring the boys?

 **AMI** : Let me think about that. Also, I have a couple of friends with me. They are models that will be staying at my house for a little while.

 **NANAKO** : Is one of them Kurosawa Hisako?

 **AMI** : HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?

 **NANAKO** : Noto figured it out. He also figured out that all the stories have been wrong and that you and her are friends.

 **MAYA** : …

 **AMI** : Yes, tell the boys to come too. But tell them I still don't want anyone to mention HER.

 **MAYA** : Not a problem. Even Haruta understands that.

.

**Friday evening, July 31 – A Neighborhood Park Near Ami's house**

* * *

"Ami's friends seemed nice." Nanako said to the other three. Maya looked concerned ever since they had left Ami's house so Noto, Haruta, and Nanako decided to have a chat in the park and talk it out.

"Was it just me, or did Ami seem different?" Maya asked.

"Oh," Noto groaned, "that was the real Ami."

"What?" Maya looked at Noto, "What do you mean?"

"The Ami that you knew for most of last year was a front. A facade. The real Ami was the one that argued with Minori in the room and fought with her on the ski slope.

"I knew her all last year!" Maya spat back at her boyfriend, "What makes you think you know her better than me?"

"I don't." Noto said patiently. He knew that it would be a blow for her to find out the person that she thought she was friends with was a fake personality that Ami obviously didn't care to maintain any more. "I had my suspicions. Kitamura-san confirmed them."

"Kitamura..." Maya wanted to argue this too, but she knew that Kitamura Yusaku knew Ami longer than anyone at the school.

"I want to know," Nanako looked directly at Noto, "how you know about the fight in the girl's room at the ski lodge?"

"Eh?" Noto and Haruta looked at each other in panic for a moment as they recalled hiding in the closet with Kitamura, Takasu, and Taiga and listening to the whole conversation. Then Haruta smiled when he remembered the events on the slope.

"Everybody heard about that conversation!" Haruta laughed, "that's what Ami-chan and Minori-chan were screaming about before they started fighting with each other in the snow."

"Right!" Noto agreed quickly. He looked at the two girls. Maya seemed too moody to give it much thought but Nanako, as expected, looked like she had an issue with the story.

"If she's changed," Maya asked, "is she even the same person that I liked? Did she ever really like me?"

"Let me see your phone." Nanako reached over to her friend and in moments had found the text messages between the three of them. Handing the phone back, she said, "Read through that. She still likes us."

"As far as still liking her?" Noto added, "I really liked the person I saw tonight. I think the real Ami-chan is far better than the facade ever was."

"Yeah, I guess." Maya still had a lot to think about but the Ami she met tonight did seem to have more depth.

"Did anyone else feel like they had shrunk?" Haruta asked. "I'm not used to being one of the shortest people in the room!"

"Ha!" Nanako laughed, "Now you know how I feel all the time!"

.

**Tuesday morning, August 4 – Okinawa**

* * *

"Hey, you're awake." Ryuuji said to the head of blue hair leaning on his shoulder. "We should be landing in half an hour."

"Yippee." Ami droned. She just didn't feel the excitement she wanted to be feeling on this trip. Sure, they were going to Okinawa, and she hadn't been here in years. But she was still thinking about her friends. The friends that she might have lost. Well… friend that she might have lost. Maya hadn't talked to her since the day they came back from Tokyo. She hadn't returned texts or calls either.

"What's wrong?" Ryuuji could tell from her mood that she was still brooding over the recent struggle with Maya. He wished there was something he could do but this was really a problem of Ami's own making.

"Nothing," Ami lazily looked out the window at the clouds sliding by, "I'm just tired." Ami remembered the afternoon that her school friends came over and met her model friends. At first, everything was fine. But after the first time Ami gave an intelligent response in a conversation, Maya looked hurt. After the second time, she looked betrayed. After the third time, Maya shut down and didn't participate in any conversations until saying goodbye when she left with Nanako, Haruta, and Noto. Ami had always used the airhead persona around Maya and now that she knew she could have friends without resorting to airhead-mode, well… To put it bluntly, she just didn't want to be that person anymore. Ryuuji didn't blame her for wanting to drop the act. He never really liked the vapid – airhead – dumbchi persona anyway. Unfortunately, that was the persona that Maya had become friends with and, unlike Nanako, she wasn't adjusting well to the change.

"Maya's still not talking to you?" Ryuuji asked gently.

"She's not returning my calls," Ami looked up at Ryuuji sharply, "it's different!"

"It's not different." Ryuuji looked back into her fierce eyes. He knew his expression wouldn't show it, but he tried to put compassion into his voice.

"Yes it is," Ami growled, "you don't know what you're talking about."

"I think I know something about someone I loved not returning my calls." The compassion was gone from his voice. This was discipline. That was as close as he would come to slapping her. The words didn't come out in a sneer, but just barely.

"Ah!" Ami understood. She knew she had crossed the line. She may be upset by Maya's attitude but it was nothing compared to what Taiga had put him through. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry." She dropped her head against his shoulder and held onto his arm. When he started pulling his arm away from her, she thought for a moment her whole world was crumbling, but that feeling was dashed. Ryuuji's arm went around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. His hand covered her head and he ran his fingers through her long blue hair.

"Maya will come around." Ryuuji said confidently, "Noto likes you even better this way. Nanako likes you either way. And Haruta didn't notice there was a difference."

"Heh!" Ami laughed. Haruta could always be counted on to make you laugh, even indirectly.

"They are her closest friends and in time, she will realize that you are too." Ryuuji heard the announcement to prepare for landing but they were already sitting up with their seat-belts on. "You just have to be ready to accept her when she is ready to come back to you"

_Bang!_

Ami felt as if she had been shot. Her inner voice was screaming at her. _Is that really the way he feels? Is he going to forgive Taiga for abandoning him. Will he welcome her back with open arms? Will he go back to her if she comes back? Underneath it all, does he still love her? Will he leave me alone? Will he leave me?_

A shiver ran down her spine. Ami felt cold. She was afraid to look at Ryuuji now. If he could see anything that she was thinking in her face, he would know something was wrong and she just couldn't have that conversation with him. Not now… not yet.

She looked around the cabin at her friends. Hisako and Suzume were in the seats across from her. They were both excitedly looking out the windows at the white beaches of the tropical island they were rapidly approaching. Ordinarily, Ami would have been pleased to see the two of them getting along so well. They had both come a long way in just over a week. Hisako never thought she would have any friends again and Suzume had thought of Hisako as her sworn enemy. Now they were giddy with excitement and holding hands as they looked out the small aircraft window.

Onee-chan and sensei were in the seats behind Ami. Yuri was trying to calm Yasuko down but it was difficult. She was as excited as Suzume. Ami thought that was odd at first, then she realized. All the trips that high schoolers take for granted, Yasuko missed because she missed high school. While other kids her age were going to classes and class trips, she was working several part-time jobs and raising a baby on her own. She never had the school trip to Okinawa memory, or the school trip to the mountains memory, or any other high school memory. She had missed out on so much… but she did have Ryuuji. That made Ami think. She wondered if she could do that. Could she really give up everything for Ryuuji?

If her family disowned her and she lost her modeling career, could she and Ryuuji make it on their own? They wouldn't be able to afford to go to college. They would be poor, even if both of them got jobs. She knew Ryuuji was brave enough to take that challenge since it was the same situation he had found himself in with Taiga. But he had been a fool, hadn't he? He never would have made it. Their chances were abysmal. Ami started to doubt her own chances with Ryuuji when she heard Yasuko's crystal clear laughter.

The spell was broken. There sat Yasuko happy and healthy after a struggle that would have daunted just about anybody. She was proof that it could be done. Even if the world turned against them, Ami felt that she and Ryuuji had a chance. But the question remained, did she really have a chance with Ryuuji? The question rolled over and over in her mind. Not knowing the answer was as bad to her as…

_BUMP!_

The surprising jolt to the plane from the landing gear hitting the ground brought Ami's thoughts out of that dark place and refocused her on getting ready to leave the plane. Finally glancing at Ryuuji, she could see that he was excited too. Perhaps he wouldn't notice her melancholy, or at least he would attribute it to the problem she was having with Maya.

.

**Tuesday evening, August 4 – Iejima**

* * *

As soon as they had landed, they were repackaged into a smaller plane and flown to a smaller island off the coast of Okinawa. Iejima had some beautiful beaches and seemingly untouched waters. It also had a single conical mountain on it. At less than 175 meters in height, it was a bit of a stretch to call it a mountain, but it looked like one as it rose up far above the rest of the pancake flat island. What the island didn't have, was a hotel.

The agency had arranged for some trailers to be set up on an abandoned runway between the small municipal airport and a small military base. The trailers were small, but actually fairly nice. The representative from the agency apologized for the accommodations and explained that the trailers had to be smaller than usual since they had to be ferried over from Okinawa. They had thoughtfully provided a separate trailer for each person to sleep in. There was also a special one for food storage and preparations. The plan was for the first four days to be devoted to shooting and the last three was their vacation… although it was suggested that a photographer might be following them around again.

After the early start and all the planes, trains, and buses it took to get them here – everyone was already tired. They couldn't stop though. The shooting schedule called for a sunset shooting on the first day so by the time they got back to the trailers, they were all exhausted. As soon as they folded down the bed in their trailers, they all realized that they really would be sleeping alone, each of them in their own trailers.

Despite how tired they all were, it was difficult for everyone to get to sleep that first night. Yuri had spent all but one night at Ami's, in the same room with Yasuko, since getting back from Tokyo. Hisako had been sleeping in the same room with Suzume as well. It was also difficult for Ryuuji as he had got used to sleeping next to Ami. But Ami was devastated. She was already concerned about Maya and now she needed to feel Ryuuji close to her more than ever. All she could think about as she lay in her trailer alone was what Ryuuji would do when Taiga came back. Alone and afraid, the blue haired girl cried herself to sleep.

.

**Wednesday morning, August 5 – Iejima**

* * *

After the first hour of dealing with models that looked tired and moved listlessly, the producer demanded to know what the problem was.

"It's the trailers," Ryuuji told him, "they're just too small."

"Is this an ego thing?" the producer asked Ryuuji.

"No," Ryuuji explained, "none of them are used to sleeping alone. We knew they would be small trailers and thought we could get by with two in each bed, but the little beds in the trailers aren't even big enough for that."

"Two in a bed?" the producer glared at Ryuuji.

"Yes." Ryuuji yawned.

"So," the man obviously had a hard time believing what Ryuuji was telling him, "snuggling?"

"Yes." Ryuuji confirmed.

"Hmph," the producer stomped off as he said, "I'll see what I can do."

It ended up raining that evening, so shooting was canceled early. When they got back to the dinky trailers, they had to hang out at the food trailer for a while as workmen were busy with their sleeping units. Outside the kitchen trailer, there were several two-person tables with large umbrella's to keep the sun, or in this case – the rain, off of them while they ate. Yuri and Yasuko were chatting with each other at one table. Hisako and Suzume looked like they were going to fall asleep at another.

Ryuuji made up a Rei Shabu dish for everyone to try to lift their spirits. He had learned that one from the employee that had been helping to make their meals at the Le Dauphin back in Tokyo. As a cold pork dish, he thought it would be perfect on this hot, humid, rainy day. It looked like everyone was enjoying it but Ami.

"You're really upset about Maya, huh?" Ryuuji asked.

"Um… yeah." Ami looked away as she told the half-truth.

"Or, is there something else bothering you?" Ryuuji looked more concerned.

"No… it's nothing." Ami lied. Out of the corner of his eye, Ryuuji saw Hisako glaring at the two of them.

"Hey," he tried to sound compassionate, "you can tell me if there is something bothering you."

"I said it's nothing." Ami snapped. Something else snapped soon after. Ryuuji saw Hisako lurch out of her chair and start stomping toward them. She was pulling up her sleeve on her slapping arm as she came. Ryuuji now looked at her more closely and was stunned when it was obvious that she was coming for Ami and not him.

"Oh shit." Ryuuji jumped to his feet. As soon as he was standing, he pulled Ami up from her seat as well.

"What?" Ami demanded as she spilled some of her sliced carrot from Ryuuji's pulling her to her feet.

"Unless I am mistaken, you are about to have the hell slapped out of your face." Ryuuji told Ami as he pulled her close.

"Eh?"

"I've got this," Ryuuji said to Hisako over Ami's head. Remembering what Hisako had him do last time, he pulled Ami to him and kissed her. Ami wasn't ready for a kiss and wasn't really in the mood for one either. He was pissing her off but she didn't fight it too much since she had also been so worried about him really caring for her in the first place. But… it didn't feel right. There was no spark, no feeling. It was as if he was kissing her for a scene in a production. Actually, a stage kiss might have been more passionate. Maybe the lack of passion was her fault. Maybe he didn't really love her anymore and this is what it felt like when love died. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by Hisako's voice from right behind her.

"You're doing it wrong." Hisako said as she pulled Ami back from Ryuuji. He didn't let go though and held onto her arms. "Perfect," Hisako said as she looked into Ami's violet eyes, "hold her just like that for me." For a moment Ryuuji was afraid Hisako was going to slap Ami while he was holding her arms, but what she did was even more surprising. Before anyone could react, Hisako's arms were around a very surprised Ami and she was kissing the blue haired girl with the passion of a true lover. Ami was shocked. Her eyes were open wide and she had to remember to keep breathing.

"But..." Ami gasped when Hisako finally ended the kiss.

"I have always loved you Kawashima Ami." Hisako confessed, "I loved you from before… before I betrayed you. I thought you were like me. I wanted you so bad it hurt. And, it hurt when I stole your job… it hurt so bad." Hisako's voice remained normal even though she was crying. She wasn't sobbing but the tears started running down her cheeks, "I needed the money… that was what I told myself. I needed the money so bad. I never wanted to hurt you but I was desperate..."

"I've already forgiven you for that." Ami wanted to reach across to her friend but Ryuuji was still holding her arms. She was about to jerk her arms away from Ryuuji, but just at that moment, Hisako pushed her back into Ryuuji's body.

"I know." Hisako told her and briefly laughed through her tears, "You are even more lovable than you were before. I will probably always love you but I know you don't love me. Not like that, anyways. You love this big scary bastard."

"Ah!" Ami blushed at Hisako's bluntness.

"You love him so much, you positively glow." Hisako went on despite the deep blush that was building on Ami's face. "Ye gods how I wish it was me that could make you that happy, but it isn't. And you're so blasted lucky, because he loves you too." Ami could feel Ryuuji's hands squeeze her arms a little tighter.

"I know..." Ami looked down.

"But you haven't been glowing since we got to this island." Hisako calmly went on, "Something is bothering you and you better start talking about it and work things out or, so help me, I will beat the crap out of you for ruining something I can never have."

"Ah..." Ami noticed that Hisako didn't raise her voice or sneer or use any of the tricks that are usually employed when making a threat. She had said it almost conversationally as if scheduling an appointment for tea and a beating. That alone, more than the words themselves, scared Ami. Ami knew that Hisako was stronger than her. She wondered if Ryuuji could stop her if she really did become violent. A part of her wondered if he would even try.

"There is a girl named Taiga." Ami said as she looked at the ground between herself and Hisako. She felt Ryuuji's grip shake for a moment as she said that girl's name. She didn't see, so much as sense, Yasuko getting up. "She and Ryuuji loved each other but she left to go find herself and… we haven't heard from her since."

"And..." Hisako prompted.

"She left a note that she would come back when she found herself." Ami sighed, "I've fallen in love with Ryuuji and I'm worried that little…" Ami took a deep breath and dialed back the anger before she continued, "I'm worried that she is going to waltz back into Ryuuji's life and take him away from me."

"I see." Hisako could also see that Ami was doing all she could to hold back the tears. Looking up at Ryuuji she asked him directly, "What about it Ryuuji-sama? Will you leave Ami-chan for this Taiga?"

"No." Ryuuji said with finality. It was so sudden and so quickly delivered that Ami wondered if she really heard it or if she only heard what she so desperately wanted to hear.

"Tell me why." Hisako pressed.

"I loved Taiga," Ryuuji admitted, "In some respects I still do. But she hurt me. I can take a lot, but Taiga hurt me… pretty bad. Whether it was intentional or not, it is still her responsibility." He held Ami tightly as he continued, "I hated Taiga for a while. Then I forgave her. I no longer hate Taiga, but I also no longer trust her. Taiga is not someone I can believe in. She doesn't think about my feelings… like Ami does."

"Ah!" Ami looked up from the ground and revealed her tear streaked face to Hisako.

"I hate to tell you this scary man," Hisako smirked, "but it sounds like I think of your feelings more than this Taiga person does – and I'm not even into guys."

Ami could hear a few giggles from some of her friends watching this conversation, but she didn't have it in her to laugh. She was still in shock. Her mind was still replaying the conversation to make sure she heard right. To make sure…

"Enough staring into space," Hisako leaned forward and dabbed the tears from Ami's face, "I've shown you how to do it right, so turn your skinny ass around and kiss the man you love. And this time, I'd better see some passion!" Ami felt Ryuuji's hands let go of her arms and she spun around to look at him. His eyes had tears in them too."

"What you said, it was real right?" Ami wanted to be assured that she didn't somehow misunderstand, "you really wouldn't leave me for her… for Taiga?" She dared to say the name again.

"Never," Ryuuji said with sincerity, but Ami could tell that his expression was slipping to mischievousness, "I would never leave you for Taiga." Ami caught the glint in his eye and decided to play along.

"Who would you leave me for?" She asked.

"Koigakubo Yuri," Ryuuji tried to hide the smirk despite hearing Yuri-sensei's gasp, "I do have this thing for teacher after all."

"TAKASU RYUUJI!" Yuri screamed loud enough that some of the trailer doors opened up with curious onlookers, "You are horrible!"

.

That night Ami slept better than she had since they had left the Le Dauphin hotel. Not only was the problem worked out with Ryuuji, but the producer's workers had cannibalized the beds in three of the trailers to make larger beds in the other three. The trailers were small so even with the two beds in a trailer it was a pretty tight fit. Ami was forced to sleep with her arms and legs around Ryuuji like he was a big body pillow. Which was just the way she liked it.

.

**Friday evening, August 7 – Iejima**

* * *

The final day of shooting had the girls riding horses on the beach. The producer had checked out all the horses from a conveniently located dude ranch on the island. After a brief instruction session, all three of the models were able to ride in straight lines like they knew what they were doing. The hardest part was taking the fear out of the girls' expressions as the horses galloped down the beach.

During the shoot, one of the hands from the dude ranch busied himself with showing Ryuuji, Yuri, and Yasuko how to ride. He was still having to show Ryuuji and Yuri what to do, but to everyone's amazement, Yasuko seemed to be a natural. In only a few minutes she was comfortable with the horse she was on and the horse seemed equally thrilled to have the happy blond for a rider. It didn't take long for some of the crew to notice this.

While Ryuuji and Yuri were still trying hard not to fall off, the producer asked Yasuko if she would ride up and down the beach with the models. The trick worked and the girls were able to loosen up more and get the kinds of shots the producer wanted.

When that session was over, the producer told them that they were done and the crew would be pulling out in the morning as it was already too late to pack up and catch the last ferry for Okinawa. He handed over the packet that had the airline tickets and some hotel vouchers. From the tickets, it looked like they could catch the small plane back to Naha any day at 2PM. It was only a thirty minute flight so there would be plenty of time to get a hotel room if they weren't ready to head back home just yet.

When the guide from the dude ranch asked if they would like to ride the horses back, Ryuuji and Yuri were ready to decline but the rest of the girls were excited now that they were no longer afraid of their mounts. Taking the handlers up on the offer, they talked about what they wanted to do with with rest of their time in Okinawa as they slowly rode the horses back to the Dude Ranch. Everyone but Yasuko wanted to head back to Okinawa on the next flight. They had good memories of Iejima but they had been there for four days now and almost all of them wanted to do something different now. Yasuko, of course, wanted to stay and ride the horses for another day.

The guide, with three riderless horses, rode a little bit ahead of the group to give them their privacy as they talked about their vacation plans. All of the horses seemed to automatically follow the guide as he took a winding path up a ridge next to some very tall hedges. Ryuuji noticed that there were some small green metal buildings on the other side of the hedge but he didn't think anything of it until one of the buildings started making a loud whining noise. The horses seemed to get skittish as the noise got to a higher pitch.

_BANG!_

The loud noise ended with the loud bang and several of the horses jumped. Everyone managed to stay on their horse except Hisako and Yuri. Hisako landed in the soft grass but Yuri got tangled in the leather straps and felt a sharp pain as her body tried to go one way but the horse, and her foot, tried to go the other way.

The horse ran off and dragged the screaming teacher several dozen meters before the strap finally worked free and let Yuri come to rest. Although no longer being dragged by the horse, she was still screaming as a result of the pain from her leg. She was starting to pass out from the pain but was able to see a head of blond hair bending over her. At first she thought it was Yasuko but she blinked and it was a man.

^Do you speak English?^ the man was saying to her in English. Yuri did speak English. She even taught English at her high school but she didn't see how this was relevant. "It is okay," the man said in stilted Japanese, "do you understand me now?"

"Yes!" Yuri cried out. Now she saw other faces showing up. She thought she saw Ryuuji and Hisako. It was hard to tell. Everything was getting hazy… and dark.

"She is passing out." she could hear the man saying to the others. "I have called for a medical evacuation."

"What happened to her?" Ryuuji's voice sounded so far away.

"I think it's a transverse fracture." she heard the man's voice say before the darkness finished closing in. The darkness was nice. There was no pain in the darkness.

 


	16. Wear Sunscreen

**Saturday morning, August 8 – Okinawa, Visitor's Quarters**

* * *

"Should I call you Takasu-san, Ryuuji-san, or Mr. Manager?" the Major asked the sinister looking young man about to load up in the back of the big military truck.

"Takasu-san would be fine." Ryuuji noticed that he did not suggest anything more familiar and wondered how much he knew of Japanese culture beyond the language.

"Okay, Takasu-san." He smiled and shook Ryuuji's hand without a bow, "You should get familiar with western style greetings, since you are going to be meeting mostly Americans, Canadians, and Australians today. It's all shaking hands with these guys, they don't do bowing."

"Okay," Ryuuji raised an eyebrow and wondered what the Major had cooked up for him. "How should I call you?"

"Major Locke." he said as he handed the young man a card, "If anyone has any questions, you can tell them to call me. If I can't fix it, I know who to call that can." He waved over a group of people in military uniforms that had been waiting at the front of the truck. As they were approaching, he told Ryuuji, "Now these guys I'm about to introduce you to will be following you around and making sure you get safely from place to place."

"You're not coming with us?" Ryuuji asked.

"No… I feel like I should stay near the hospital." the Major tried to make it sound very official but Ryuuji saw through him.

"She is single." Ryuuji said quietly.

"Excuse me?" the Major asked innocently.

"Nothing… nothing." Ryuuji smiled inside as he looked away.

"Thank you very much." The Major said with a slight bow then turned and presented Ryuuji to the new arrivals, "This is Takasu Ryuuji. His job is to insure the well being of the models. You will refer to him as Mr. Manager." Then he repeated in English, ^This is Ryuuji Takasu. His job is to insure the well being of the models. You will refer to him as Mr. Manager.^

"Yes sir." they all responded to the Majors instructions.

The Major then introduced the photographer, an interpreter, and a Lieutenant that would be in charge of getting them from event to event for the rest of the day. He apologized and explained that when his superiors found out that he was caring for a group of Japanese models, they asked if we could do something for morale and...

"Public relations." Ryuuji finished the Major's sentence.

"Yes." the Major admitted. "If you don't want to do this..."

"It's fine Major Locke," Ryuuji said, "as long as this doesn't come out until March as we agreed." Ryuuji did remember his agreement with the celebrity magazine back in Tokyo, so he had asked for these shots not to be used until after the magazine got it's big story out. In their room they had talked about whether they should do this at all but it came down to the advice he remembered: _any publicity is good publicity and free publicity is the best._

Just as Ryuuji was about to climb into the back of the truck with the girls, a car pulled up and an extraordinarily tall young woman in a very blue themed camouflage uniform came running over to them. She stopped and gave a British style salute to the Major. She looked to be almost out of breath and Ryuuji wondered if she could be bringing bad news from the hospital.

^I thought you weren't going to make it.^ the Major said to the new arrival as he returned an American style salute. The Major then spoke to her in Japanese, "At ease. This is Takasu Ryuuji. He is the manager for three Japanese models that will be doing some PR work for us. You will refer to him as Mr. Manager."

^Yes sir,^ the young woman replied.

"Takasu-san, this is Leading Aircraftwoman Deena Walker of the Royal Australian Air Force." the Major said, "I thought her presence might make your group more comfortable. She can speak passable Japanese."

"Good morning," Ryuuji shook the young woman's hand, "I am about to introduce you to some Japanese models. I'm pretty sure they are going to want to call you Deena-chan. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes Mr. Manager." the tall girl looked like she could barely contain her excitement, "Is it true that one of them is Kawashima Ami?"

"Yes," Ryuuji was surprised, "You have heard of her? Is she well known in Australia?"

"Some people in Australia know her, but I have been a fan of Japanese culture since I was in high school, so I have known of Kawashima Ami for a while. I guess you could say that I am a fan. I hope that doesn't make her uncomfortable" Deena suddenly looked worried.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Ryuuji felt it odd that he was in the position to give council to someone that was older than him and at least ten centimeters taller. "So, have you heard of Kurosawa Hisako or Minami Suzume?"

"I've heard of Kurosawa Hisako." Deena looked stricken. Ryuuji winced internally as he wondered just how badly poor Hisako's career must have suffered from all the rumors over the last year.

"Listen to me," Ryuuji tried to be as convincing as he could, "everything you have heard about Hisako-chan and Ami-chan have been rumors, lies, and misunderstandings. She is a good friend of Kawashima Ami's and she is in our group."

"What?" Deena was stunned.

^I don't want to hear _what_!^ the Major growled in English, ^I want to hear _Yes Mr. Manager!_ And if you have any issues with any of his charges, you'd better stow it! If you can't, you'd better tell me now that you aren't up to this assignment and just walk away. Do I make myself clear, Leading Aircraftwoman Walker?^

"Yes sir!" Deena had been talking casually with Ryuuji but she snapped to attention when the Major started yelling at her.

"Deena-chan," Ryuuji said more calmly, "Think about this. Hisako-chan has been unjustly accused of being a terrible person for over a year. She hasn't been able to see Ami-chan until just recently. She has lost her friends, her fans, and it is difficult for her to find work now."

"Unjustly..." Deena repeated the word. She appeared deep in thought until her expression changed to a grim determination, "I will do my best to be her friend."

"Thank you, Deena-chan." Ryuuji bowed.

.

**Saturday morning, August 8 – Okinawa, Hospital Room**

* * *

"What… where am I? Yuri was justifiably disoriented when she woke up. The last thing she clearly remembered was falling off a horse. Now, she could hear things beeping and she could see an IV bag hanging above her to the right. When she tried to move her head she was accosted with a numb pain from her neck all the way down her back, and waves of nausea. Just putting her head back down on the soft pillow seemed the best course.

"Good morning," a familiar voice said to her as she felt her hand squeezed. A head of unkempt blond madness came into view.

"Onee-chan?" Yuri said it naturally. Her eyes focused better now. She could see that Yasuko looked like she had been up all night. There were bags under her bloodshot eyes and her hair looked like it had taken on a life of it's own. A very confused, chaotic, and angry life of it's own.

"Yuri-chan," Yasuko answered as she gently brushed the stray strands of red-brown hair from her friends face. The look of weariness seemed to almost vanish when Yasuko smiled. It was that lively, captivating smile that only Yasuko could do. The smile that told you everything was right with the world and everything was going to be okay now. Yuri couldn't help but grin too as she looked at that beautiful smile. Slowly blinking her eyes, she realized that she had completely forgotten what she wanted to ask Yasuko. This seemed odd to her. She knew that she didn't normally forget things like that. Her eyes fell on the IV bag again and it started to make sense to her.

"They said you might be groggy and nauseous when you wake up." Yasuko told her friend when she saw her eyes move to the IV bag, "they are giving you some pretty strong pain killers for now."

"Okay..." Yuri meant to say that she was still in pain so maybe the pain killers weren't working. She also wanted to say that she was pretty tired and thought she might go back to sleep for a bit. It was so hard to say the words though. Maybe Yasuko would know what she meant if she just smiled and closed her eyes.

.

"All right young lady," an authoritative voice said in stilted Japanese, "You got to see her and you got to talk to her. Now you need to get some rest."

"I'm fine Major..." Yasuko started to object but the Major wasn't having it.

"You will go get some rest or I will ask our Navy hosts to order some Marines to drag you off to a bed and hold you there until you sleep." The Major said. For the first time, Yasuko noticed that there were two other men in the doorway to the medical ward as well. One of them was in a medical smock but the other was dressed in a camouflage uniform.

"Oh Major," Yasuko teased, "you would send Marines into a bedroom with me?"

"We have female Marines." the Major responded cautiously.

"Well," Yasuko dismissed, "if they're only girls..."

"They are still Marines," the Major said dryly, "do not underestimate them."

"Okay." Yasuko pouted as she walked past the Major.

"This is Sergeant Russo," The Major indicated the man in the camouflage uniform, "He will take you to the visiting quarters that have been arranged for you." Then he said something in English that Yasuko didn't understand. Unlike Yuri, or even the high school students, Yasuko had never had enough English language instruction to understand even the simplest things. Fortunately, the sergeant did understand a little Japanese. As she left the room with the sergeant, she felt the exhaustion of the previous day and night catching up to her. She took the sergeant's arm and leaned into him as they walked the long corridors to the hospital exit.

Back in Yuri's ward, the man in the medical smock was taking readings and looking at the patient now sleeping in the only bed in the room. After the sergeant left with the blond Japanese woman, he looked over at the Major settling down into a chair.

"Major," the doctor asked, "what did you say, to convince her to go get some rest?"

"I told her that if she resisted, I would ask you to have some Marines remove her to her quarters and force her to rest." the Major chuckled.

"I see," the doctor smirked, "You know, I could use the same tactic on you."

"Don't worry doc," the Major made a pacifying gesture, "one of her students will be here soon enough and I'll take a break. I just want someone in the room that is fluent in Japanese whenever she wakes up."

.

**Sunday morning, August 9 – Izu Islands, Bungalow**

* * *

Nanako looked at her friend Maya with pity. Poor Maya had forgotten to put on any sunscreen the day before and looked as red as a lobster now. To make matters worse, Maya had enjoyed playing in the sun on the beach with Noto instead of relaxing in the shade of the big umbrella like Nanako had. Now, underneath Maya's tortured skin, her muscles ached as well.

Maya was in pain every time she moved. Getting out in the sun was pure torment for her sunburned skin, so the beach was out. Being close to any heat was also painful, so the hot springs were out too. Even wearing clothes was uncomfortable. Her damaged skin was so sensitive she could feel every seam as if it were made from shards of broken glass. Every loose thread felt like a knife trying to slice into her. Because of this, she stayed in the bedroom with the air conditioner turned up as high as it could go and tried not to cry.

"How is she?" Noto asked as Nanako came into the common room.

"The sunburn is pretty bad. She can’t get any sleep." Nanako told him, "And she is blaming herself for ruining your vacation."

"She said that?" Noto asked.

"No," Nanako gave him a wan smile, "but I can tell."

"It was just a mistake," Noto said, "it was my fault as much as hers. I should have noticed."

"I know," Nanako said, "I told her that too, but I think it will make her feel better when she hears it from you."

"Yeah," Noto said as he put on a sun hat and walked to the door.

"Are you going somewhere?" Noto asked.

"I'm going to walk to the shop up the road and see if they have any treatments for sunburns." Noto asked, "Do you want anything?"

"Let me put some shoes on and I'll come with you." Nanako said, "I know what we need to get and you will need help carrying it."

Noto was going to object to her coming along. He felt guilty about Maya being in so much pain and he really wanted to be alone. But Nanako had a good point. He could buy everything on a list if she wrote it down but he could only carry so much. Having never been badly sunburned before, he wondered how long it would take for Maya to recover. He worried that this could ruin the vacation trip that she had looked forward to so much. Looking out the window at the calm ocean and clear blue sky, he desperately hoped that nothing else would go wrong.

.

**Sunday night, August 9 – Okinawa, Hospital Room**

* * *

The windows were dark the next time Yuri woke up and she felt much better. The fogginess was gone from her brain and she didn't feel like she was in nearly as much pain or nausea. Next to those dark windows, Yuri could see someone asleep in a chair. From the cascading mane of jet black hair, she guessed it was Hisako.

Looking to her left, she was startled to see a nurse quietly standing there and watching her. The nurse softly said, "Hunger?"

^I can speak English.^ Yuri assured the young nurse with a smile.

^Ah!^ It was the nurses turn to be startled, ^I've been practicing to say it correctly. Did I do it right?^

^You did fine, and yes I am hungry.^ Yuri felt like she was talking to a student for a moment, ^Can you tell me how I am doing?^

^You are much improved. I believe the doctor will release you from the Hospital tomorrow morning.^ She seemed happy about that news, ^I will call the Major. He will be able to discuss more with you.^

^The Major?^ Yuri asked.

^Yes. He has been very worried about you.^ the nurse said, ^He has been in this room in case you woke up for much of last night and today.^

^Thank you,^ Yuri said to the departing nurse. She wondered who this Major was and why she was in an American military hospital.

"Hey," Hisako's voice got her attention, "so you're awake again?"

"Yeah," Yuri looked at the young model, "What happened? Why am I here?"

"Do you remember riding the horses back from the beach?" Hisako asked. After getting a nod from Yuri, she continued, "Apparently, we were actually crossing a military base on the horses. They were testing something and it made a loud noise that scared the horses. You got hurt. The Major felt responsible and had a helicopter come and take you and Yasuko and him away. He had an airplane come a few hours later and take the rest of us. So we're all here now."

"How long have I been here?" Yuri asked.

"Well, it's Sunday night, so it has only been a little over two days."

"Oh no!" Yuri felt awful, "You've been spending your vacation in a hospital?"

"Not really..." Hisako chuckled, "we've been taking turns being here with you but the Major and Ryuuji came up with some pretty fun things for us to do."

"Oh?" Yuri was curious what fun things there were to do around a hospital.

"Well, there is a beach near by and the Major was able to arrange for us to go on some airplane rides." Hisako seemed to be fidgeting.

"What is it?" Yuri was concerned, "What's bothering you, Hisako-chan?"

"It's this Major..." Hisako took Yuri's hand, "he's been spending a lot more time in here with you than responsibility would require. I think… I think he may have a crush on you."

"What?" Yuri was stunned. "How can you say that? He doesn't even know me."

"He knows you more than you think," Hisako explained, "and some of that is our fault. His Japanese is very good and when he started asking about you, we just kind-of opened up."

"It's okay Hisako-chan," Yuri said earnestly as she held the girls hand, "I'm sure you didn't tell him anything embarrassing about me."

"They told me that your name is Koigakubo Yuri." a voice from the doorway said. As he walked into the room, he continued, "You are a beloved schoolteacher at Ohashi High School. You are a good friend and a very caring person." He was now standing next to her bed and smiling. He looked very tall and quite handsome in his military uniform. His face was strong but not unkind. His green eyes sparkled and his short blond hair was almost the same color as Yasuko's.

"Oh… um… I… " Yuri was spellbound just looking at this man. A man that was paying attention to her. A man that, if Hisako was right, might have a crush on her. Her inner voice was screaming at her. _Did I finally meet a guy that likes me and all I can do is stutter? Oh Yuri, you idiot… say something!_

"And," the Major continued, "thanks to your friend Hisako here, I found out that you are much, much older than I had thought."

"Eh?" Yuri stopped breathing and turned to Hisako, "WHAT?"

"You bastard." Hisako said half-heartedly to the Major. Then she looked back at the barely restrained Yuri and told her, "He thought you were another high school student along with Ryuuji and Ami. I just told him that you are their teacher."

"And that you're an over-the-hill thirty-one year old spinster."

"WHAT?" Yuri shouted.

"I never said that!" Hisako shouted at the Major then turned to Yuri, "I swear I never said that!"

Yuri looked on the verge or anger, panic, and embarrassment, all at the same time. A strong hand took her face and the Major held her still while he looked into her eyes.

"Excellent," the Major said with a smile, "you appear to be truly awake this time."

"Eh?" Yuri was confused at his actions.

"You had an interesting reaction to the pain killers they put you on." the Major took his hand away from her face, "You have appeared to be awake several times now but you probably have no recollection of it."

"Are you a doctor?" Yuri asked.

"No, I'm a linguist." He said, "but I asked the doctors how to tell if you are really awake and they said to say something that would provoke a strong emotional response and check the eyes to see if they were tracking correctly.

"So," Yuri felt hurt, "you made up the spinster thing?"

"Not really," he said quickly when he saw Hisako's defiant reaction brimming, "but Kurosawa-san didn't say anything like that."

"Who..." Yuri wanted to ask who would say that about her but she was also afraid to know the answer. She really didn't want to think that there was anyone in their little group that could be so hurtful.

"You said it one of the times..." The Major took a deep breath and continued, "...one of the times you started talking to me but it turned out that you really weren't awake yet."

"What… what else did I say?" the terrified teacher asked.

"Nothing really," the Major saw the pleading in the red-brown eyes and told her, "you mostly asked for your onee-chan. And once you were worried that you were late for your final exam for Japanese History."

"Heh," Yuri laughed, "that was high school. I was late for that exam."

"Well, you're a teacher now so I guess you did okay on that final." the Major said.

"Yeah," Yuri saw that he was really interested in her answer and felt a blush coming on as she realized that she would really like to hold this man's hand while she talked to him. Then she felt a flush of embarrassment that he was seeing her after two days in a hospital bed… "Oh my gosh, I must look a mess!"

"You look great," the Major smiled down at her, "if you were any prettier, I wouldn't have the courage to talk to you."

"So," Hisako smirked, "Do they call you a linguist because you can charm women in two different languages?"

"I wasn't trying to be charming. I was just trying to be nice." the Major responded to the barb, "but if Koigakubo-san doesn't mind charming, I'll take it."

"Jeez..." Hisako wanted to make a gagging noise but Yuri was blushing and smiling again.

"But to answer your question," the Major said, "I am called a linguist because I speak seven languages."

"Seven!" both Hisako and Yuri exclaimed.

"Yes," he said, "aside from English and Japanese, I also speak two families of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian."

"So, did you grow up around here?" an impressed Yuri asked.

"No," the Major chuckled, "I'm from a place called Nebraska." Just then, the sound of a cell phone was heard and Hisako went to retrieve her purse.

"I'll be right back," Hisako left the room to take the call.

.

"Hisako-chan," Ryuuji said as soon as she answered. His voice sounded concerned. "How are things at the hospital?"

"Good," she replied dryly, "Yuri-san is awake and talking to Major charming."

“Major Charming?” Ryuuji asked.

“I’ll explain later,” Hisako chuckled at her own joke.

"So, she's not watching the television now?" Ryuuji asked.

"No, why?" Hisako was getting concerned now.

"There was an earthquake in the Izu Islands a little while ago." Ryuuji explained, "Ami's friends and sensei's students – the ones you met at Ami’s house – are there now. Ami is trying to get in touch with them but all circuits are tied up around Tokyo now."

"I hope they're okay." Hisako said. For a moment she imagined the Earth opening up and swallowing the little bitch named Maya, but she knew that despite the problems they were now having, that wouldn’t make Ami feel any better. She did genuinely hope that nothing bad happened to the two boys or Nanako-chan. Hisako had refrained from saying anything at the time, but she had been completely captivated by Ami’s little purple haired friend.

"There's more." Ryuuji paused as he was listening to an announcement then went on, "it looks like they are about to get hit by a Typhoon."

"Jeez," Hisako said, "I hope nothing else goes wrong for them."

.

**Monday morning, August 10 – Izu Islands, Bungalow**

* * *

Nanako woke up to the sound of someone banging on the bungalow door. She looked over at the clock but there was nothing on its display. The power evidently hadn't come back on since last night's earthquake, so she had to make her way to the door in the dark.

"Just a minute!" Nanako yelled to make sure they didn't leave before she got there. The room wasn't a mess or anything. Other than some new cracks in the walls, the bungalow seemed none the worse since the earthquake. Nanako was just being cautious since this wasn't a familiar environment and she was moving through it in the dark.

"Good morning," Nanako said as she opened the door and looked at the older lady in a JSDF camouflage uniform and a sick mask.

"Hello," the uniformed woman asked, "do you have a flashlight or emergency radio?"

"Um… no." Nanako was still a little sleepy but she knew that she didn't have one and she didn't think that Maya or Noto had packed anything like that either.

"Take this," the woman coughed as she handed Nanako a small plastic wrapped flashlight and emergency radio combination from a bag she was carrying.

"What's going on? Are we expecting another earthquake?" Nanako asked.

"No," the woman's voice sounded hoarse as she spoke, "Typhoon Etau is supposed to hit us today. We are evacuating everyone to higher ground." She paused to hand Nanako a page of instructions. "Do you have any elderly or infirm in your group?"

"No," Nanako answered as she looked at the instructions with the small flashlight.

"Then your group will be expected to make your way by following this path." she coughed again as she pointed to one of the lines on the map section of the page. "You need to arrive at the facility by 10AM. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Nanako looked up and saw that the woman looked very tired. She may have been repeating these instructions all night. "Thank you very much."

.

Their bags were packed and they were getting ready to head out. It looked like quite a walk for them and Maya already looked worn out. She had hoped to sleep better last night than she had the night before since Noto had bought all the sunburn remedies and pain medication for her. Unfortunately, the power had been out since the previous day's earthquake so there was no air conditioning and the bungalow had been hot and uncomfortable. It had been another miserable night for poor Maya.

Noto and Nanako knew that Maya was in pain and insisted on carrying her share of the luggage to the shelter. Maya thanked them, but she knew that she was just a burden to both of them now. She followed her two overloaded friends up the road and knew that this would be one more thing she would feel guilty about.

.

**Monday noon, August 10 – Okinawa, Vista KOOM**

* * *

Yuri sat in a wheelchair with her cast-wrapped leg sticking straight out. With the cast on her leg, pants were out of the question so she was wearing a pastel yellow sun dress that the girls had picked out for her. Sitting in the shade of the covered balcony and looking out at the vista of the blue-green ocean waters around Okinawa, she felt light and breezy even on this warm day. Yasuko sat on the other side of the white linen covered table from her in a similar pastel pink sun dress. Together, they were enjoying the view and the gentle breezes wafting in over the water. The Major arrived with three icy red drinks with bits of pineapple and orange sticking out of them. He wasn't wearing his uniform today but in their minds, Yasuko and Yuri couldn't imagine calling him anything but _the Major_.

"Ladies," the Major passed out two of the drinks to Yasuko and Yuri then lifted his glass in the air, "to getting out of the Hospital."

"I'll drink to that!" Yuri laughed then brought the straw to her lips. The sweet strawberry flavor was unexpected and very refreshing. Yuri and Yasuko both took a deep drink of the fruity beverage.

"Wait," the Major tried to warn them, "don't drink this so quickly or…

"Erk!" first Yuri then Yasuko stopped drinking and made the bitter faces of someone with the dreaded brain freeze.

The Major slowly sipped his strawberry daiquiri and tried not to laugh as he watched the two women struggling through their self-inflicted pain.

"You had better not be laughing at me." Yuri threatened.

"I wouldn't dream of it." the Major smiled.

"So," Yasuko asked, after the pain finally died away, "where are the kids today?"

"Right about now," the Major looked at his watch, "they should be trying very hard not to throw up."

"Eh?" Both Yuri and Yasuko were more startled at the sinister smile on Major's face than what he had just said.

.

**Monday noon, August 10 – Thirteen kilometers over the Pacific Ocean**

* * *

Ryuuji, Ami, Hisako, Suzume, and Deena were belted into their seats as the big airplane they were in climbed higher and higher. Along with some crew members, their party occupied almost all of the dozen seats that were installed on this plane. Looking around, they all noticed that the floors, walls, and ceilings were padded in the big empty space in the rest of the plane. Ryuuji and his group had been introduced to the airplane's crew before they boarded and one of them was now talking to Deena.

"The Sergeant wants to know if you would like to play Ami-ball." Deena repeated the question to Ryuuji in Japanese.

"What is Ami-ball?" Ryuuji asked.

"He says it is a surprise, but he is pretty sure you will enjoy it." Deena told him.

"Okay," Ryuuji agreed, "I'm game." He wasn't too concerned. So far they hadn't been asked to do anything dangerous so he wasn't too worried that they would suggest anything that would hurt Ami. When a light in the cabin turned yellow, the Sergeant, Deena, and Ami unbuckled and walked to the other side of the open area. Another Sergeant motioned for Ryuuji, Suzume, and Hisako to release their seat-belts and hold onto the straps above their heads. When the yellow light turned green, they all felt like they were floating.

"Look!" the Sergeant pointed across the padded area and Ryuuji could see that the other Sergeant was having Ami curl into a ball and wrap her arms around her legs. Then he easily picked her up and pushed her so that she started floating across the room right toward Ryuuji. Holding onto her legs, Ami was slowly spinning as she soared across the room weightlessly. There was a bit of fear as she suppressed the urge to brace for a fall, but Deena had assured her that this was completely safe. Before she could panic, she felt a familiar arm around her and opened her eyes to see that Ryuuji had caught her with one arm while still holding onto the strap that kept him from floating around the room.

"Oh Ryuuji!" Suzume squealed as she spread her arms out like wings, "Throw me like a paper airplane!"

The big jet was soon filled with peels of laughter as Ryuuji, the girls, and the Sergeants flew through the air, bounced off the padded walls, and walked on the ceiling.

"What do you think, Mr. Manager?" Deena asked.

"This is great!" He replied, "Ami is having a wonderful time. I'm glad to see her having fun instead of worrying about..."

"I know," Deena had been with them for several days now and could tell that Ami was concerned for her friends. That had impressed Deena. Over the last several days, all three of these Japanese models had made a positive impression on Deena. Their camaraderie was genuine and they cared deeply about their friends. Although she had always enjoyed keeping up with celebrities, deep down she had always thought that models were a bunch of shallow and ditzy air-heads. There had been several times that Deena had seen the sad look on Ami's face after checking her cell phone again for a message that still wasn't there. Each time that happened, Deena found her annoyance with this Maya person increasing. Deena had heard the story of their homecoming and Maya's reaction to meeting the real Ami. The fact that Maya decided to stop talking to Ami when she stopped acting like an air-head, infuriated Deena. Her fist reflexively clenched as she thought of the down-under attitude readjustment she would like to give that girl if they ever met.

"Hey, Deena-san," Ryuuji called out to the fuming Aussie, "you're getting all worked up again."

"Sorry, Mr. Manager!" Deena smiled and tried not to dwell on it. After all, Ami seemed to be enjoying herself now. There was no point in bringing down her good cheer.

.

**Monday evening, August 10 – Izu Islands, SDF Shelter**

* * *

The building was old, drafty, and the air conditioning was non-existent, but it was very sturdy and it was on higher ground. The biggest problem was that it wasn't large enough. With all the people that the JSDF had given evacuation notices to, it was occupied beyond capacity. The rooms were full and there was barely any room to move in the hallways. No-one could lie down, sitting on the floor was a luxury when everyone was packed elbow to elbow.

Nanako had found a women's bathroom stall where she and Maya could have a little privacy to reapply the sunburn cream to Maya's aching skin. Because it hurt so much for Maya to move, Nanako had to apply the cream while Maya stood still and tried not to cry out.

"Did you have to wear a bikini?" Nanako asked as she applied the cream to her friend's shoulders and back. "You're burned almost everywhere." _And we’re running out of sunburn cream._

"You helped me pick it out," an exhausted Maya whimpered, "You said it looked good on me… I thought Noto-kun would like it."

"It does look good on you." Nanako said, "Noto-kun liked it too."

"I know he said he liked it, but I think he was just being nice." Maya sounded deflated.

"Oh no," Nanako said confidently, "he liked it. I could tell."

"Really?" Maya was still unsure.

"He couldn't take his eyes off you." Nanako smiled as she remembered watching from the shade of the beach umbrella as the two of them frolicked in the sun. "I couldn't take my eyes off you either, you are so pretty."

"N… Nanako?" Maya had been a little embarrassed at Nanako's direct complement, but she grew concerned when Nanako's hands stopped moving on her back.

Behind Maya, Nanako closed her eyes tight to try and stop the tears. It was no use. All she could think of was the fun Maya had with Noto and that they really were very happy together. A happiness that Nanako had always felt with Maya. A happiness the two of them had shared for so many years. A happiness that Nanako hoped would go on forever, but… there was someone else now. Someone that Maya was in love with, and it wasn't Nanako. The happiness was slipping away and Nanako feared it would soon be nothing more than a fond memory.

"Noto-kun..." Nanako tried to keep her voice steady as the tears began to fall, "Noto-kun is a lucky guy to have your love." Nanako wished that Maya could return her own feelings, but she didn't blame Maya for that. Nanako regretted never having the courage to tell Maya how she really felt. Maya already knew that they thought of each other as more than friends. Maya had once said that they were close like sisters. Nanako had smiled and agreed at the time, too afraid to tell her the truth.

"Nanako..." Maya was about to tell Nanako that she didn't feel lucky herself. She felt torn in two between the glorious free-fall sensation of being so desperately in love with Noto and the paralyzing fear of losing Nanako. She felt like she had already lost Ami to Ryuuji and now she was going to lose Nanako because of Noto. It was as if life itself wouldn't let her be happy unless she also had an equal measure of sadness.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Someone was hammering on the door to the bathroom stall they were in.

"Hurry up in there!" An angry voice yelled through the door, "There's a line to use this toilet!"

"Sorry!" both Maya and Nanako shouted, "We'll be out in a minute."

"We?" the voice on the other side of the door was surprised.

Maya cried out from the pain of movement as she struggled to hurriedly put on her shirt while Nanako finished rubbing the ointment into her sunburned legs. Before long, they emerged from the stall to see plenty of angry stares. Averting their eyes, they tried to make it back out into the hallway as quickly as possible. They had only made it a few meters when things went from bad to worse. A woman seized Maya by the arm as she was walking by.

"I want to know what the two of you were doing in there!" She demanded. Most of her demand was unheard over the piercing scream from Maya as the woman's rough hand grasped her sensitive sunburned arm. The searing agony brought Maya to her knees.

Nanako reacted instantly. Her knee came up into the womans stomach and her fist found the woman's neck. Before anyone could say a word, it was over. The woman had let go of Maya and was curled up on the floor gasping for breath.

"Pervert!" Nanako screamed at the fallen woman, her face twisted up in rage, "If you touch her again, I will kill you!" She was concentrating on the woman that had caused her friend pain, but Maya was up now and could see the accusing eyes of everyone else in the room.

"Sunburn cream." The obviously sunburned Maya held up the bag of sunburn remedies, "She was helping me..."

"It's okay," an older woman shook her head, "you two go on. Nothing happened here." Looking at the other women now, it seemed that everyone had found something else to look at.

"Thank you very much Obasan!" Maya said she took Nanako by the hand and hurriedly left the crowded bathroom.

.

When Maya and Nanako got back to their spot in the long hallway, they found Noto holding three disposable bento boxes, but looking confused. He had been successful in getting them some food and water from the disaster relief station.

"We're right here." Maya said, thinking that was why he was confused.

"I can see that," Noto was still looking around, "but where is all our stuff?" Now Maya and Nanako noticed it too. Their luggage was nowhere to be seen.

.

**Tuesday morning, August 11 – Okinawa, Visitors Quarters**

* * *

"Mr. Manager, wake up!" Ryuuji could hear Deena's voice calling to him. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was only a little after six in the morning.

"What?" he collected his sleep addled thoughts and asked, "What's going on?"

"Please," Deena said with urgency, "go outside and talk to the Major. I will get everyone else up and help with Koigakubo-san." Only then did Ryuuji notice that she was wearing the blue camouflage of the Royal Australian Air Force again and not something they would be wearing to a photo shoot. This alone set Ryuuji in motion and he was in the parking lot in seconds.

"Major Locke?" Ryuuji could see that the Major was also wearing his camouflage uniform and looked grim.

"Heh," the Major chuckled as he looked at Ryuuji in his satiny black and silver dragon patterned pajamas, "I told her to get you to hurry, but you could have dressed first."

"Major?" Ryuuji could see that the Major was deeply concerned about something and his attempt at humor had been to try to lighten the mood.

"Okay," the Major saw the serious look in Ryuuji's eyes and decided to give it to him straight, "Typhoon Etau was downgraded to a tropical storm but it still dumped a lot of rain on much of Japan. They were already having flooding issues but an hour ago another earthquake hit. This time it was in the area of Shizuoka. There are reports of landslides as well as flooding now. We are hearing things like, _hundreds missing_ and _significant loss of life_."

"What can we do?" Ryuuji asked after hearing the stunning news.

"The Japanese government hasn't asked for our assistance yet, but we expect the call at any time." the Major said, "As a preparation, every medical evacuation airplane on Okinawa will be launching for Yokota Air Base, near Tokyo within the next two hours. LAC Walker and I will be going along to serve as an interpreters."

"Ami and I can help with that!" Ryuuji would like to have volunteered everyone but he knew Hisako, Suzume, and his mothers English proficiency wasn't enough to help. "Sensei might be able to help too but with her leg..."

"I appreciate the offer, but I wasn't here to ask for your help." the Major said, "I need to get you home on one of the flight's heading for Yokota. I don't have any spare personnel to watch over you while I'm gone."

"Major, please." Ryuuji was confused, "we can stay in a hotel and catch a flight from Naha to get home."

"No, you can't." the Major replied, "Do you know what happens to transportation when a natural disaster occurs? Flights to Japan have been diverted here and all the hotels are already filled up. Depending on how bad Japan was disrupted by this storm and the earthquake, you could be stuck at the airport for days or even a week."

"I see." Ryuuji thought most of them could tough it out but with sensei in a wheelchair…

"Can you work with Deena to get everyone ready to go in an hour?"

^Yes sir!^ Ryuuji stood up straight and saluted the Major as he had seen others do it.

"Good man." The Major smiled and returned the salute.

.

An hour and a half later, a truck full of Ryuuji and his group pulled up behind a military airplane with a large ramp going into the back of it. The Major was already there along with a group of Marines and some Air Force sergeants with dogs. As soon as the truck came to a stop, two Marines jumped up into the back of the truck.

^All right, where is the Major's future wife?^ one of the Marines asked.

"WHAT?" Yuri cried out through her blush. Deena immediately started laughing at Yuri's distress. Ryuuji and Ami were stunned too but started laughing as well. The rest were laughing after Deena gave them the translation.

^We're gonna get you out of the truck and into the plane ma'am.^ the Marine said to Yuri as he pointed at the cast on her leg, ^We'll be real careful too. We don't want nuthin else to happen to the Major's pretty new bride.^

"Eh!" Yuri was blushing furiously while everyone else was laughing hysterically at the panicking teacher.

Ryuuji was impressed with how easily the Marine picked up the crippled teacher into a princess carry. He appeared to move with no effort at all as he stepped out of the truck and carried her toward the Major. Everyone else was stunned as they watched the carefree Marine walk up to the major and hand her over so that the Major was now holding Yuri in a princess carry.

The Major and Yuri looked at each other in shock as the smiling Marine took a step back, saluted, and walked back the way he came.

"Silly me," he said with a huge grin, when he got back to the truck, "I forgot the wheelchair."

.

**Tuesday morning, August 11 – Izu Islands, SDF Shelter**

* * *

The heavier rains had stopped in the early morning hours and news came later that the Izu Islands had already seen the worst of the storm. Many of the people in the shelter had already left to go back to their homes or hotels, but people that were staying in low lying areas had been asked to remain a little longer until the public safety team could make a quick survey. With the room that other's leaving had opened up, Noto, Maya, and Nanako were able to lie down and try to get some rest. However, sleep eluded poor Maya.

Maya blamed herself for the ruined vacation. She blamed herself for the fight it the bathroom and for their luggage being stolen. But there were worse things that she was feeling guilty about. She knew that Ami still wanted to be her friend. Ami had left text messages, voice mail messages, and had even sent emails. It was Maya that had not responded. She told herself that she just didn't know if she wanted to be friends with the real Ami. She couldn't decide, and having let her indecision rule her, she had made a choice after all. She never called Ami back, never replied to text or email messages. What must Ami think of her now? She had called herself Ami's best friend, but now she had turned her back on Ami when all of her friends were willing to accept the real Kawashima Ami.

And now another disaster was happening with her friendship with Nanako. She loved Noto, she was sure of it. But was it worth losing Nanako? They had been friends for so long. She knew that she had taken that friendship for granted. When she had become friends with Ami, she just assumed that Nanako would tag along as well. She would go with the flow. She would be there… she would be there for Maya like she always had been. She was Maya's rock. And Maya felt like she was losing her. Maya could feel the strain on their relationship even though Noto did everything he could to assure both of them that he would never come between them. He seemed to understand and support their friendship but… Nanako was slipping away and the only thing Maya could think of, to save their friendship, would be to break up with Noto. The tears began to fall as she came to the conclusion that she would have to choose either Noto or Nanako.

Nanako was awake and watching Maya cry. She knew her friend was in a lot of pain. She had started to develop blisters on her shoulders and back from the sunburn. But something told Nanako that these tears were from a pain with causes that were less visible. She wondered if Maya had even bothered to read Ami's last text message. Of course there was no point in mentioning it now. Their phones were…

"The cell phones!" Nanako sat up and blinked as she remembered the last place she saw the cell phones.

"Huh?" Maya was surprised by Nanako's sudden movement. "What about the cell phones?"

"I didn't pack them." Nanako said, "The last time I saw them, they were on that shelf in the closet, plugged into their chargers."

"I… " Maya said, "I didn't pack them either and I know Noto didn't go back in that closet. He was only ever in the other room."

"All right," Nanako said as she got up, "I'll be right back."

"What?" Maya objected, "wait until Noto is awake and we can all go..."

"It's okay," Nanako waved off the objection, "I need to stretch my legs and it sounds like the wind and rain have calmed down."

"But… you'll be gone so long!" Maya persisted.

"I'll cut across that open field. That should cut the trip in half. I should be back within an hour." Looking over at Noto she added with a little laugh, "I'll probably be back before he wakes up."

"Nanako..." Maya looked down, "about Noto. I've decided to break up with him."

"Why?" A stunned Nanako blinked.

"I lost Ami..." Maya dabbed the tears from her sunburned cheeks, "I don't want to lose you too."

"Look at me." Nanako said through clenched teeth.

"Huh?" Maya looked up to see an extremely angry Nanako.

"If you think breaking up with him will make me happy, you don't know me at all." Nanako fumed, "If you even mention this stupid idea again, we are done."

Maya's jaw was hanging in shock as she watched her friend storm off down the hall toward the building's front entrance. Maya was still looking at the part of the hall where she had last seen her friend when she heard Noto stirring behind her.

"Hey," Noto yawned, "did you get any sleep last night?"

"A little," Maya lied.

"Where's Nanako?" he asked looking around.

"She remembered that she left the cell phones in the bungalow. She went out to get them."

"What?" Noto was awake now and deeply concerned. He grabbed his socks and shoes and asked, "how long ago did she leave?"

"I don't know… not long I think." Maya's sleep deprived mind seemed to remember something important, "she said it wouldn't take long if she cut through that cleared field."

"No." Noto's mind wasn't sleep deprived and he clearly remembered a sign in front of that field when they had made the trek up the road carrying all their luggage. The sign was diamond shaped and had the bright red symbol of a snake on it.

"What's wrong?" Maya asked her boyfriend as he started walking toward the same exit Nanako had taken. He stopped for a moment.

"I'm going to help her. I'm sure she's fine." to himself he added, _but only if our luck drastically changes._ "I'll be right back. You stay here in case she gets back before me." He caught himself before almost adding _and watch our stuff_.

When Noto got to the front of the building, he noticed several walking sticks leaning against the wall. He grabbed a sturdy one and headed for the open field at a dead run.

 _Please Nanako._ He screamed inside his mind, _Please be okay!_

 


	17. Friendly Voices

**Tuesday morning, August 11 – Izu Islands (continued)**

* * *

The rain had all but stopped, but there was a lot of debris that had been blown over the muddy tract. Noto wanted to run through the quagmire as fast as he could and catch up with Nanako on the other side, but he didn't know how long ago Nanako had left and couldn't discount the possibility that she could be laying in this field somewhere with a twisted ankle or… worse. He didn't want to think about it, but the snake warning sign was there and the danger was real. Having to keep a watch for where he was stepping as well as looking around for Nanako made the crossing of the sodden farmer’s field a slow process. If only…

Beep… beep… beep… beep…

Noto strained his ears until he could tell what direction the beeping noise was coming from. It might not be anything but it was a better clue than he had seen so far. The beeping grew louder as he approached some plastic sheeting that had collected around a bush. Through the plastic, he could see a red light flashing with the beeping sound. He hurried around the bundle of plastic and saw Nanako fallen in the mud. In one hand she clutched a plastic bag with their cell phones. In the other hand, she held the flashlight/emergency radio device that the JSDF soldier had given her. The little device was calling for help with beeps and flashes of red light even though Nanako wasn't moving. At first, Noto thought she had just fallen, but she wasn't moving at all. Looking around more carefully he saw movement in the ground cover on the other side of his fallen friend.

Moving carefully, he counted three… no, four snakes in a shallow in the ground. He recognized the snakes as Japanese Pit Vipers. Looking back at Nanako, he could see small spots of blood on her legs.

 _Oh no,_ _s_ _he must have walked_ _right_ _into a nest of them!_ _Nanako, please don’t be dead!_

Using the walking stick, he targeted the only snake that was near Nanako at the moment, and smashed it to a bloody pulp. Moving as quickly as he could, he put the emergency device in his pocket, tucked the plastic bag of cell phones through his belt, and picked up Nanako in a fireman's carry. He wanted to run with her as he started heading back to the JSDF building, but he would have to watch the ground carefully and be cautious with the uneven terrain until he got out of this awful field.

As he carried her unresponsive body, he wanted her to wake up and tell him what was so important about going back for the cell phones. But he thought he knew the answer. He knew how much it was bothering Maya that she hadn't responded to any of Ami's messages. Several times he almost said something to Maya about it but he wanted her to come to that decision herself. Without telling either Nanako or Maya, he had been keeping in touch with Ryuuji and letting him know that Maya hadn't forgotten about Ami – she was just confused… and afraid. He and Nanako had both watched Maya suffer with her self doubts. Doubts that the real Ami would accept someone like her as her friend. Doubts that she was worthy of being Ami’s friend any more. Doubts that they had ever been friends at all. Nanako must have been thinking that getting the cell phones back would give Maya another chance to at least patch up her friendship with Ami. Or at least start the process. Noto hoped Ryuuji and Ami were okay. They were supposed to be back from Okinawa by now but with the storm and everything…

 _Enough worrying about everyone else! I've got an exhausted and sunburned girl back at the shelter and a snake-bitten and unconscious girl on my shoulder_ _s_ _. I have more than enough to worry about right now._

Back to his original thoughts, he would be happy if Nanako would wake up and yell at him for carrying her in such an undignified position. He would be thrilled if she would just wake up at all. Maybe worrying about Ryuuji and Ami wasn’t such a bad idea after all. At least it took his mind off the task of carrying someone through this godforsaken, snake infested, muddy field.

.

Some JSDF soldiers were standing in the parking lot on break when they saw Noto coming across the street with the unconscious girl on his back. Rushing to help him, they carried her to a makeshift infirmary but the limited supplies didn't include any anti-venom. While their leader started making calls around the island, Noto went to look for Maya.

A few minutes later, Noto found Maya where he had left her. She was lying down on the cool tile floor and finally asleep. He knew she was nearing complete exhaustion from lack of sleep alone and considered not waking her, but he couldn't do that. Nanako meant too much to both of them and Maya would never forgive him.

"Maya," Noto called to her. At first she didn't respond so he scratched at the less-sunburned palms of her hands and called to her again.

"Eh?" Maya mumbled as her eyes half opened.

"Maya, I need you to be awake." Noto kept scratching her palms, "I have to tell you something important."

"Mmm… okay." Maya still didn't look or sound alert.

"Maya," Noto hated to do this but he was running out of options that wouldn't cause Maya physical pain, "Nanako is in trouble. She is hurt."

"Nanako..." Maya slowly woke up at last, "What happened to Nanako?"

"She got bit by a snake." Noto looked into Maya's eyes, "Do you want me to take you to her?"

"Yes!" Maya started to cry, "Is she going to be okay?"

"I… I don't know." Noto wanted to tell her everything would be fine, but he knew things were far from okay right now. Grimly, Noto thought that if their luck continued the way it had, he and Maya would get back to the infirmary just in time to see them pull the sheet over Nanako’s face.

.

When Noto and Maya got to the infirmary, they found no-one performing any medical aid and several people on telephones and radio's. Nanako lay unmoved where they had put her on the table not too long ago.

"What's going on?" Noto asked one of the soldiers he recognized as Maya stumbled over to the table where her friend lay. The soldier Noto was talking to was one of the men that had helped him get Nanako into the infirmary.

"The only place on the island that might have had some anti-venom is on fire." the haggard but apologetic soldier told them, "Storm winds blew power lines down on the building and set fire to it. Normally a flight from Tokyo would bring us out some, but all emergency services are tied up with the storm and earthquake victims right now."

"Is she going to die?" Maya sobbed. She took Nanako’s hand but Nanako didn’t squeeze back.

"From the puncture marks on her legs, it looks like she was hit four times." the soldier informed them compassionately, "unless we get some anti-venom here soon, her chances don't look good."

“Nooooooo.” Maya started to wail. _Not Nanako too! Please don’t make me lose my Nanako too!_

"What can we do?" Noto asked.

"At this point, all we can do is put out a call for help on the emergency frequencies and hope someone that can help us will hear it.”

“What are our chances?” Noto asked the soldier quietly.

“Not very good. Just about anyone listening to the emergency radio traffic is already tied up at this point.” The soldier admitted, “I’m very sorry, but it’s the best chance we’ve got.”

.

**Tuesday morning, August 11 – Nine kilometers over the Pacific Ocean**

* * *

Ryuuji smiled as he sat next to Ami and held her hand. He looked down at her long delicate fingers interlaced with his and couldn't think of anyplace he would rather be. That in itself was fairly remarkable considering where he was. This plane was not as comfortable as the others he had recently been in, but it was still exciting to be flying with these people that were on their way to do rescue work. The plane was a military cargo aircraft with four propeller engines and was so noisy inside that the flight crew had given them all ear plugs and noise canceling headsets to wear. It was actually easier to talk to someone through the microphones and headsets than to take the headset off and yell at each other from only centimeters away. There weren't any passenger seats in the normal sense on this plane. Instead, there was a long bench seat along each wall and the middle of the plane was full of medical and relief supplies.

Using the headsets, Ryuuji had spoken with several of the other people on the plane over the last two hours and found out interesting things about this group. The Marines were selected because they had been trained in Search And Rescue work. Likewise, the Air Force Sergeants were the handlers for dogs trained to find human bodies – whether they were alive or dead. These groups, when asked, would be going into some of the most dangerous and unstable places to try an rescue anyone they could find.

At the moment, he was sitting next to Ami and looking across to the other side where the Major was sitting next to Koigakubo Yuri. He smiled when he thought of the consternation that the Marine had caused the Major back on Okinawa. But there would probably be no hard feelings. The Marines' stunt seemed to have jump started a relationship and the Major had spent most of the flight next to Yuri. Ryuuji hadn't noticed when it had happened, but they were even holding hands as they chatted with each other through the headsets. At one point, Yuri blushed when she looked up and saw two of her students watching her holding hands so publicly, but Ryuuji just smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. The Major had caught the interaction and nodded a thank-you. Ryuuji had started to go into a semi-sleep state when he noticed that Yuri-sensei and the Major’s conversation was suddenly interrupted by one of the flight crew. The man plugged into the Major's communication box so he could talk through their headsets and handed him a clipboard. The major looked startled. He looked across at Ryuuji, pointed at him and at Ami and waved them over. Ryuuji blinked himself fully awake and helped Ami up.

When Ami and Ryuuji got to the other side of the airplane, they plugged into the communication box and heard the conversation that the Major was having with the guy wearing the flight suit.

^...where did this come from, Lieutenant?^ The Major was indicating the clipboard."

^Officially sir, this came from _a classified resource_. Unofficially, it was probably a Hog.^ the Lieutenant answered.

^Right.^ the Major then turned to Ryuuji and told him as well as Ami and Yuri, "About twenty minutes ago, emergency band radio traffic was intercepted from the Izu Islands. A vacationing high school girl has been bit by several Japanese Pit Vipers and they do not have any anti-venom. Emergency services that can reach her are all tied up with the storm victims. They have put out a general call for help."

“What is a hog? Can it help them” Ryuuji asked.

“A Hog is… classified,” The Major chose his words, “but I can tell you that it can detect an emergency beacon from a very long way away and tell us where it came from within a few meters. What it can’t do is land on short runways… and it doesn’t carry the medical supplies that would be needed anyway.”

"Can we help them?" Yuri asked. Hearing that the victim was a high school girl had sparked her _sensei_ reflexes.

"Can we find out her name?" Ami asked with a little fear in her voice. She hadn't heard from Nanako, Maya, or Noto for the last several days and this was hitting just a little too close to home for her.

"Yes," the Major turned to Yuri and answered the first question, "the anti-venom for the Japanese Pit Viper is the same thing that is used for the Okinawan Habu and this plane carries several Habu kits."

"Yes," he then turned to Ami and answered her question, "I'll ask the flight deck to put us on radio and patch us into the conversation."

^Lieutenant, please patch this box into the radio and connect us to the JSDF base.^ the Major asked.

^Yes sir.^ The Lieutenant replied, then unplugged from their box and left to go back to the flight deck.

"When he connects this box into the conversation, anyone that presses their microphone button will be transmitting outside this airplane and there are strict rules about that. Do not key your microphone unless I tell you to. Understood?" He saw them all nod their heads in agreement.

^Okay Major, we've already told them that we will be there in thirty minutes. The ground side is a Sergeant Shimizu of the local JSDF. You are patched into external COMMS… now!^

^Sergeant Shimizu, this is Major Locke of the USAF. Do you prefer English or Japanese?^ the Major asked.

"Japanese, please." the response came back. In the background, they could hear a girl crying.

"Sergeant, is the snake-bitten girl still conscious?" the Major asked.

"No… the crying that you hear is from her friend."

"I see," the Major asked, "can I have the name of the victim?"

.

**Tuesday morning, August 11 – Izu Islands, JSDF Shelter**

* * *

"Good news, Hisamitsu-san!" Sergeant Shimizu called out to Noto, "Someone is coming with anti-venom. They will be here in half an hour."

"That's great!" Noto turned to Maya, "Did you hear, help is coming. It's going to be okay." Try as he might, he could not comfort his grieving girlfriend.

“Nanako, please wake up… please… I’m so sorry… please…” Maya begged as she held her friend’s limp hand and ran her fingers through matted purple hair. Between the exhaustion of the last few days, the guilt involving her failing friendship with Ami, and seeing her best friend unconscious with unchecked venom running through her veins, Maya was irrational and inconsolable.

"Hisamitsu-san," the Sergeant called out to him again, "they want to know some information about your friend." Noto didn't know what blood type or kinds of allergies she might have but he would do his best. Maya might know those answers but it would be impossible to get the information from her in this state. He walked over to the portable radio setup on the desk and took the offered headset from the Sergeant.

"Press this when you want to talk," the Sergeant indicated the pushbutton on the headset cord, "and let go when you want to listen. They have asked for her name."

"Her name is..." Noto tried again after pressing the button, "Her name is Kashii Nanako." There was silence for almost ten seconds. Noto started to wonder if the transmission had worked when he thought he heard Ryuuji's voice in the headset.

"Noto? Noto, is that you?" Ryuuji asked.

"Yes… Takasu-kun?" Noto's legs gave out and he sat down hard on the wooden chair that was luckily behind him. If he had been asked to list the top one thousand things that he would have expected to hear out of that radio, Ryuuji’s voice would not have been on the list. _Ryuuji?_ _How? What?_ _Why?_

"Who got bit and who is crying?" Ryuuji asked.

"Nanako-chan got bit and Maya-chan is hysterical." Noto told Ryuuji, "She's had a real rough time. She's all torn up about Ami-chan, she got a really bad sunburn, she hasn't slept in three days, and now… this happened to Nanako-chan. Takasu-kun, I don't know what to do. I’m worried Nanako-chan might die and I think Maya-chan's really going to lose it."

"Hisamitsu-san," a different voice cut in after a short pause and asked Noto, “do you think it would help Maya-chan, if she heard from Ami-chan now?”

“Yes!” Noto couldn’t believe this was happening. “Yes, I believe it would.”

“Ami-chan,” the other voice instructed, “given her mental state, it will probably be best if you keep your message as simple and hopeful as possible.

“Okay.” Ami said.

"Hisamitsu-san," the other voice said, "ask Sergeant Shimizu to put us on speaker if he can.” The Sergeant was listening on another headset and reached over to flip a switch. Then he gave Noto the thumbs-up signal as he took off his headset.

The speakers in the room crackled to life but nothing came out when Noto pushed the talk button and told them that they were on speaker. Noto was startled when he heard the voice come out and realized that the speakers only played the incoming voice.

"Maya… Maya, this is Ami." Ami sounded calm and sincere as her amplified words bounced off the walls.

“Ah!” Maya jumped when she heard Ami's voice echo around the room. Her face was both frightened and hopeful as she looked around the room for the source of this unexpected voice.

Sergeant Shimizu reached over to the controls and turned up the speaker volume a bit. He wanted to make sure the girl heard it over her own crying.

"Can you hear me Maya?" Ami's booming voice asked.

"Ami-chan?" Maya looked at the speakers with disbelief. She wiped the tears from her eyes so she could see the speakers more clearly. _But why? Why is Ami’s voice coming out of those dusty old speakers? Why is she calling_ _to_ _me?_

"She can hear you," Noto tried to keep the excitement out of his voice as he replied, "she recognizes your voice. It's helping. Keep talking to her."

"Maya, listen to me." Ami's voice boomed from the speakers again, "I am coming for you Maya. I will be there soon. I'm coming to take you home."

"Ami-chan?" Maya choked back her tears, "Is it really you?" It sounded like Ami, but not the silly airhead Ami at all. This was the new confident and strong Ami. The real Ami. The Ami that Maya had been unsure of, the one she had rejected…

"She can hear you," Noto keyed his microphone, "She can hear you but she is still confused. She's asking if it's really you. Say it again." Noto let go of the microphone button and kept his eyes on Maya.

"Maya, this is Ami… the real Ami." Maya's eyes opened wide as the voice addressed her again, "I will never deceive you again. I don't need to be fake any more. Ryuuji showed me that. It may seem like I have changed a lot, but I am still Kawashima Ami inside. And you are still my friend, Maya. Whether you accept the real me or not, I will always think of you as my friend."

"Kawashima Ami… the model?" one of the JSDF soldiers asked Noto. Noto nodded as they heard Ami's voice come back over the speakers.

"Maya, listen to Noto. He will know what to do." Ami told her friend, "We are almost there now. "I am coming for you Maya. I will be there soon. I'm coming to take you home."

"I'm sorry Ami!" Maya dropped to the floor beside the table where Nanako was lying and cried, "I'm so sorry… it's all my fault… I'm so sorry."

The speakers made three clicking sounds and Sergeant Shimizu flipped the switch that put the audio back in the headsets. "We are back on headsets." the Sergeant announced.

"We will be landing in five minutes." the Major's voice sounded calm even in this situation, "Can you have everyone outside, so we can load as quickly as possible?"

"Yes," the Sergeant answered, "we will be ready for you."

.

* * *

There were very few windows to look out in this military airplane, but everyone could feel the dropping sensation as the craft made it's final descent. The flight crew had also put their audio on the general intercom so everyone could listen in. They could all hear the voices speaking in English then the Major would immediately translate the comment into Japanese.

"Some parts of the runway look grown over."

"I don't think this place has been used in a decade or more."

"The runway looks clear of any obstructions or significant debris though."

"Good to go."

“This kind of airplane doesn't need a perfect runway,” the Major explained, “it can land on an open field if it has to. That being said, this might be a little rough. Make sure your seatbelt is on good and hold onto something.”

A few seconds later they felt the pitch of the airplane change and the thump of the landing gear on the ground. A moment after that, the engines made a deafening roar and the airplane slowed down almost to a stop. Two of the Marines were out of their seat-belts and up as the tail gate was opening and had leaped out of the moving aircraft before the ramp was all the way down. A few moments later, the other two marines, the Major, Ryuuji and Ami were running down the ramp as well.

The first two Marines were already heading up the ramp with Nanako's gurney when Ami and Ryuuji saw Noto and Maya. Maya was being loaded onto a second gurney that had been brought out of the airplane as Ami moved to her side.

^Say it quick!^ the Marine said to Ami as he pointed to a device they had strapped to her arm, ^She'll be in LaLa land before we get her in the plane.^

"I've got you Maya!" Ami shouted over the roar of the nearby engines as she took her friend's hand. "We're going home now. We’re all going home now!"

"Oh Ami-shan," Maya's speech was already slurred, "I'm sho shorry. I’m shorry for everyting."

“Hush,” Ami smiled at her sunburned friend as she watched the girls eyes slowly close. “I’ve got you now and we’re going home.”

In seconds, the oblivion of medically induced sleep dispelled pain, exhaustion, fear, guilt and sorrow. If the last thing you think of before you go to sleep is what determines whether you have dreams or nightmares, it was good that the last emotion Maya's conscious body experienced was happiness as Ami held her hand and told her she was going home.

Ami ran alongside Maya as the two Marines carried her up the ramp. She was aghast at the degree of Maya's sunburn. Her skin was so red it looked fake. Ami had never seen a sunburn this bad before.

"Takasu-kun..." There was so much Noto wanted to say, but he was uncharacteristically speechless as he was caught up in the moment with airplanes and Marines, and with Ryuuji and Ami suddenly showing up. He resorted to custom and expressed his gratitude with a very respectful bow as he said to his friend, "Thank you very much!" Before Ryuuji could respond, Noto heard another voice. The stilted Japanese came from a strong voice tempered with the honor and respect of military service.

"So, this is the young man that kept his wits about him in the midst of so much adversity?" the Major asked.

"Yes," Ryuuji's voice sounded strong and proud as well, "this is my friend, Hisamitsu Noto." Turning to Noto, Ryuuji said, "Noto, this is Major Locke. It is thanks to him that we are able to be here now."

"Thank you very much," Noto bowed to the Major as well. He was feeling the shock coming on that this was really happening. He had been strong for Maya and Nanako for so long. He had hidden it from them but he was scared to death that he would do something wrong, make the bad decision, forget something important… Nanako could have died. They both could have died. He felt his strength ebbing away as he walked up the ramp with Ryuuji and the Major. Looking around, he saw the men and women in uniforms doing things to Nanako and Maya with medical packages, and the stress of another responsibility seemed to fall away as he knew they were now getting the attention they needed. Walking was getting difficult; he was starting to shake uncontrollably. That was when he noticed someone had reached out and taken him by the arm. Looking down, he saw Koigakubo Yuri smiling up at him from her seat.

"Sensei?" This shock was too much. His legs gave out and he was kneeling on the floor of the plane as he leaned into his teacher’s lap. She held his head and patted his back as he broke down with tears. His sobs were unheard as the four engines roared to life and launched the big plane into the air from the short runway. He didn't notice when someone pushed some expanding foam plugs into his ears, but he did notice when he heard his sensei's voice and realized he was wearing a headset again.

"You did good, Noto-kun," Yuri said into the microphone. The Major was holding down the talk button for her as she comforted her dazed student, "I am so proud of you." No-one said anything about the impropriety of her student wrapping his arms around her slim waist and burying his head in her lap as his mind and body finally felt the safety to release the stress of the last several days.

Noto didn't know how long he had been crying in his teacher's lap, but the shakes finally stopped and he was suddenly embarrassed. Slowly raising his head, he looked around but the only one looking at him was his beloved sensei. She only smiled at him and seemed to be radiant with pride. She made a show of pushing the talk button before she spoke to him.

"If you're feeling well enough to stand up, the Major tells me they have a little show for you at the back of the airplane." Yuri said through the headsets.

Noto didn't bother looking for his talk button. He nodded and stood up. Bumping into someone, he found himself standing next to a really tall blond girl in a blue camouflage uniform. She reached past him and unplugged his headset from the box. Then she made a follow-me motion and walked to the back of the plane. Noto saw that Ami, Ryuuji, and Yasuko were already there. He also saw the two models that he had met at Ami's house were there as well. After plugging their headsets back in, the tall girl in the blue camouflage spoke to him.

"Your friends call me Deena-chan," she said to Noto, "I understand that it may be uncomfortable in your culture since we have just met, but I would be honored if you would call me Deena-chan as well."

"Yes, Deena-chan." Noto responded after fumbling for the talk switch, "And please, call me Noto-kun."

"Yes, Noto-kun. It is a pleasure to meet you. Do you see the harness that looks like this that everyone else is wearing?" Deena pointed to a nylon strap that everyone had fastened around their waist.

"Yes." Noto responded as Deena handed a harness to him. He understood that he was to put it on even as Deena was putting one on herself. It was a simple device. Something like a seatbelt with a long strap that was connected to the ceiling of the airplane toward the back. She checked Noto’s once she had her own on. Then she addressed everyone that was lined up at the back of the plane through their headsets.

"We are currently flying at about four thousand meters over Japan right now. Do you know what else is at about four thousand meters over Japan?" she asked with a mirthful smile. After no-one responded, she reached up to a panel and pushed a button. A moment later the big ramp at the back of the plane began to open.

There was a shared moment of panic as the big door of the plane slowly opened while they were still in flight, but it was quickly replaced by awe. They were flying over Mt. Fuji. Slowly coming into view underneath them was the iconic Japanese mountain. From where they were now, they could look down into the snow covered caldera of the scenic wonder.

"Thank you, Deena-chan." Noto was startled when he heard Ryuuji's voice over the headset speakers. Then he heard Ryuuji add, "Please express our gratitude to the flight crew, if we don't get the chance."

 _When did Ryuuji become so eloquent?_ Noto wondered as he looked at the magnificence of Mt Fuji through the open door of the plane. Just then, they could hear a recording of Kimigayo playing through their headsets. Noto knew that there were some people that didn’t like their national anthem, but just now – watching Mount Fuji slowly receding into the distance – its solemnity and majesty were perfect accompaniment for the impressive scene before him.

.

**Tuesday noon, August 11 – Japan, Yokota Air Base**

* * *

"Hisamitsu-san," the Major put his hand on the young man's shoulder, "I know that you want to be by your fiancé's side, but we have need of your linguistic skills at the moment. I promise to get you back to her as soon as a replacement translator can be found."

"Of course," Noto bowed, "I will help in whatever way I can." He was pained to be away from Maya’s side, but after all that this man had done for him and his friends, there was no way he could refuse the request.

Suzume was standing next to Yuri in her wheelchair and watching as the Major divided everyone up into groups. First, she watched as Ryuuji said goodbye to Ami and then left in a helicopter with Yasuko, one of the Marines, and one of the sergeants with a dog. Shortly thereafter, Hisako and Ami left in another helicopter with a Marine and a dog handler. The Major was walking back to her and Yuri while Deena and Noto were loading into a third Helicopter.

"When am I going?" Suzume yelled her question over the runway noise as the last Helicopter took off.

"I'm sorry Suzume-chan but you are too young." the Major apologized.

"What?" Suzume felt insulted.

"It's not that I don't think that you would do your best to help," the Major explained, "but neither the Japanese government nor my own would forgive me for putting you to work in this rescue operation."

"So… there's nothing I can do?" Suzume pouted. She didn't like being left out now after having been included in everything they did as a group since they met at the modeling event in Tokyo. It hurt more since this was something really meaningful. Everyone else was getting a chance to help people, but she wasn't allowed because she was too young. She was about to scream at the injustice when she felt a hand on her arm. Looking down, she saw Koigakubo Yuri looking up at her from her wheelchair.

"I want to visit my students in the Hospital." Yuri said to the upset teen, "Will you help me?"

.

**Tuesday night, August 11 – Japan, Yokota Medical Facility**

* * *

Nanako's last memory was turning on the emergency beacon after she had been bit by the snake. She was already unconscious when the other snakes deposited their venom into her flesh. She was waking up now in an unfamiliar environment. Her vision was strangely blurry but it looked like there was someone with black hair looking down at her.

"Hey, I think she's waking up." the voice from the black hair said. Suddenly, there were a lot more people looking down at her but they were all blurry. Nanako blinked her eyes several times but couldn't clear the blurriness.

"If your vision seems blurry," one of the voices said, "that's a normal side effect of a mamushi snake bite."

"Nanako-chan, do you recognize my voice?" Nanako couldn't believe what she was hearing. Maybe this was a dream. Or it could be one of the two most common school based nightmares. Any second now she would be sitting in her school desk and realize that she had either studied for the wrong test, or forgotten to wear any clothes.

"Nanako-chan?" the voice called to her again.

"Sensei?" Nanako answered and felt a hand take her own hand.

"I'm right here," Yuri said in a comforting voice.

"What happened?" Nanako asked as she tried to look in the direction of the voice.

"You were bit by some venomous snakes… " Yuri skipped a lot of details that the recovering girl could hear later, "You're in a hospital now and doing well. A lot of your friends are here to see you."

"Ish Maya okay?" Nanako asked.

"Yes," Yuri told her, "she is asleep now. They are treating her for her burns and she is in the same room with you."

"Who ish the black hair?" Nanako reached up in her delirium toward the black hair. Her hand closed on something soft, but a little too firm to be hair. A strong hand closed over her own hand and held it.

"I am Kurosawa Hisako." the voice said, "We met at Ami-chan's coming home party. Do you remember?"

"Oh yessh," Nanako said as she was slipping back into restful sleep, "you're sho pretty." Nanako wanted to talk more, but she was so very tired.

.

**Wednesday afternoon, August 12 - Japan, Yokota Medical Facility**

* * *

Everyone was awake and in the room that Maya and Nanako were sharing. The beds had been moved close enough together that Maya and Nanako could hold hands with each other. The Major and LAC Walker were in their uniforms and looked like they would soon be heading out. Umeko had arrived to pick up her sister after a trip that turned out to be much more eventful than Ryuuji had promised. She was glad that her Suzume would have some interesting stories to tell, but a bit upset that her little sister was exposed to so many… dangerous things.

"Ive talked to the medical staff and it looks like Maya-chan will need to be in the hospital for the next three days, possibly longer.” the Major said, “Nanako-chan will need to be hospitalized for at least a week, then she will need a month of out-patient treatment and full recovery shouldn't be expected until your winter break.

"That's not good," Noto told them, "Nanako-chan lives only with her mom and she is often gone for days at a time for her work in Tokyo."

Nanako was about to protest that concern but Ami spoke up.

"Nanako can stay with me." Ami offered.

"I thought..." Noto was about to comment that Ami lived on her own but remembered then that Ryuuji and his mother were now living with Ami.

"She'll not only have me," Ami smiled as she took Yasuko's arm, "she'll have the very best onee-chan in the whole world!"

"True." Yuri said with a smile.

"Agreed." Hisako also smiled.

"Definitely!" chirped Suzume.

"HEY!" Umeko protested. As Suzume’s actual onee-chan, she found her younger sister’s endorsement of Yasuko to be a bit insulting.

"Did I not mention that you were defective?" Suzume said to her older sister. "To think that I could ride horses on a beach, ride in a supersonic fighter jet, play volleyball on a beach with Marines, and participate in a rescue mission on a military transport… but my defective sister won't allow me to go out of the country to have my picture taken."

"All right… " Umeko grumbled, "I've been thinking about it and… I guess I'm okay with it as long as both Mr. Manager and onee-chan also go with you. And if you're going to miss any school, Koigakubo-san has to go too! If you can get all of them on these trips, then I don't have a problem with you going." Umeko was expecting to see her younger sister jumping for joy and was a bit surprised at the reaction she got.

"Heh heh heh." Suzume was laughing at her older sister.

"What?" Umeko asked her taller, but younger sibling.

"You just called her _onee-chan_ too!" Suzume pointed out. Everyone laughed with Suzume. Even her sister had an embarrassed laugh at her own gaffe, until she saw blond hair cascade around her head, and arms wrap around her from behind.

"I'm so happy you'll let me be your onee-chan too, Umeko!" Yasuko's elation at having another little sister was not at all surprising to anyone in the room… Except possibly Umeko.

“Ah!” cried out in alarm from the sudden onslaught of sisterly affection.

"With all these new sisters, pretty soon I'm going to have a family as big as yours." Ryuuji said to Noto.

“Hah!” Noto gave Ryuuji a warning laugh, “Be careful what you wish for.”

"I'm going to need to leave soon," the Major said after the laughter died down, "so I just need to clear up a few things with Koigakubo-san." Everyone quieted down and expected him to continue discussing medical issues or treatment schedules. They watched as he handed her a folder.

"All the medical information is in there for the turnover to your civilian doctors." he said.

"Thank you, Major." Yuri said as she accepted the folder.

"If you don't mind, there are just a couple of questions that I need to ask you before I leave."

"Certainly." Yuri looked up at him from her wheelchair.

"May I call you Yuri-chan?" the Major asked.

"Um… yes." Yuri blushed at the suddenness of the question.

"Thank you." the Major continued, "Yuri-chan, will you be my date for the Obon Festival. I believe that will be on the third of September?"

"Ah!" Yuri's blush deepened at the increased brashness of his second question. Finally, she got her wits about her and squeaked out a reply, "Yes."

"Excellent." the Major wasn't finished, "Do you prefer yellow gold or white gold?"

"WHAT?" inside Yuri's head she was screaming: _What kind of question is this? You can't ask me that here in front of… my students! What are you thinking? What am I thinking? Why can't I talk? He is all but professing his love for me and I can't move! Somebody help me!_

Ami laced her fingers into Ryuuji's as they watched their poor sensei unexpectedly getting her shining moment.

"Yellow gold for her." Yasuko answered for her tongue-tied friend.

"Eh?" Yuri gawked at Yasuko. She didn't know whether to think of her as a traitor for not telling him that he was being way too sudden, or a friend for answering the question that she couldn't.

"Oh I agree," Hisako chipped in, "with her coloring, yellow is definitely the way to go."

"Eh?" Yuri gawked at Hisako. _Why are my friends taking this so casually?_

"Last question… for now." the Major asked, "Do you prefer a wedding during your winter break with the snow, or during your spring break with the cherry blossoms?"

"Ah!" Yuri gasped. Her face was so red now she could feel the heat on her hands that were trying to cover her face.

"What Japanese girl doesn't dream of a wedding with the cherry blossoms?" Umeko asked.

"That's true," Yasuko added, "that is the Japanese version of the fairy tale wedding."

Yuri's mind was yelling at her: _Winter will be here in four months. Cherry blossoms in eight months._ "SNOW!" Yuri finally spoke, "I like snow. A winter wedding sounds nice… to me."

"Well then, there's only one thing left to do." the Major said as he pulled out a small festively wrapped package with a yellow bow on it from his satchel and handed it to Yuri.

"What?" Yuri asked.

"Happy birthday, Yuri-chan." the Major smiled.

"WHAT?" Yuri cried out. For the last several years she had dreaded the coming of her birthday. It was a cause for getting drunk and not something she wanted to celebrate at all. The last several weeks had been so crazy she hadn't even remembered it. _Today is August 12. I am thirty-one years old today._ Her thoughts seemed to help her focus on the small package in her hands. A package about the size of… _No, it couldn't be!_ Yuri looked up at the Major with hope, and fear, and tears.

"You can open it now or you can wait for the birthday party your friends will be throwing you." the Major smiled down at her.

Yuri looked over to Yasuko for help.

"Oh honey," Yasuko said sincerely, "I really think you should open that now."

Looking around the room, everyone nodded in agreement. Yuri carefully opened the small package with trembling fingers. Under the wrapping paper was a small felt covered box.

"Oh!" Yuri cried out when she saw the box. She looked up to see the Major but he was kneeling in front of her.

"I know I told you that I already asked the last question but if you'll excuse me it seems that I do have just one more." the Major asked the question that Yuri thought she would never hear, "Koigakubo Yuri, will you marry me?"

"How…," Yuri gasped, "how can you..."

"Yuri-chan," the Major said calmly to the almost hyperventilating Yuri, "I'm stationed over eight hundred miles away. I can talk to you on the phone but a regular courtship is pretty much out of the question. Besides, I've known since I saw you lose consciousness on Iejima that you are the one for me."

"But… we haven't even kissed yet!" Yuri had said what had popped into her mind and instantly regretted it. "Eep!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about this but I don't have the time to run this through the standard Japanese dating timetable. I'm just going to have to go American with this." Having said that, he moved up and kissed the shocked teacher on the lips. Surprised as she was, her arms went around the Major and hung onto him as she returned every bit of the passion that he showed her.

"Wow!" Suzume was impressed. Several others silently agreed with the teen.

Umeko had the urge to put her hands over her little sister’s eyes.

"Go Major!" Noto quietly cheered the man bringing an end to the greatest sadness of his sensei's life.

"Yes." Yuri said when they finally broke the kiss.

"There's no way that was giving it to her _American_ , Major." Deena objected, "I've seen that terrible fumbling you Americans call kissing and that wasn't it. You gave her a proper Australian kiss, sir."

"Absolutely not," the Major denied her accusation, "if had been an Australian kiss, one of us would have to be drunk and I would have missed and stuck my tongue in her ear."

"But you both enjoyed it," Deena countered, "so it couldn't have been an American kiss either."

"Maybe it was a Japanese kiss?" Noto suggested.

"No," Deena responded, "a Japanese kiss doesn't happen until after the couple is married, has their first child, it's only in the dark, and they never admit it happened."

After everyone finished laughing, the Major looked at his watch and frowned. He held Yuri's hand and kissed her on the forehead once more.

"I have to go now, but I will see you in twenty-two days." he said to his fiancé.

"Twenty-two days." she repeated as she watched him leave. When she raised her hand to wave she noticed something shiny on her finger. A golden band with small red stones surrounding a larger white stone. _What? When did he do that?_ She opened the little jewelery box and saw that it was empty. _Oh, he's good._


	18. Pandemic?

**Friday morning, August 14 – University Hospital**

* * *

With an extra hospital blanket wrapped around her, Nanako was just sitting in her bed and staring at the lumps her feet made under the covers. She did not look happy at all. Ryuuji considered this and could come up with a number of reasons why that might be so. Her vacation was ruined by earthquakes, a typhoon, and snake bites. Since being transferred from the American military hospital to the University Hospital, she and Maya had been in separate rooms. She was going to have to spend several more days of her summer vacation in the hospital before she would be allowed to go home. Surely, there were a number of reasons to sadden the usually smiling Nanako. But to Ryuuji, it looked like something more.

Ryuuji stood in the entrance to the room with a vase full of flowers and looked at the despondent purple haired girl for a while. Ami was outside the hospital, talking to her agency about something. She would be joining him to visit Nanako soon, but hadn't caught up to him yet. Looking in at Nanako, she looked like she needed someone to talk to, but he wondered if he was the right person. After all, he knew her mostly through Ami even though they were in the same class. He was still thinking it over when she noticed him there and smiled. It was a nice smile, but there was something about the look in her eyes that said it was forced.

"Oooooooooh Takasu-kun," Nanako said sweetly if a bit raspy, "are those for me? You better not get me in trouble with Ami."

"These are from Ami and me," Ryuuji said as he walked into the room and put the vase down on her side table. "She'll be in to see you soon. She got a phone call from her agency just as we got here."

"Shouldn't you be taking those calls?" Nanako asked with a playful smirk, "You are Mr. Manager after all, aren't you?"

"In name only," Ryuuji cautiously laughed, "I don't get a paycheck or anything."

"Well," Nanako sniffed the flowers that Ryuuji had brought, "Thank you for the flowers."

"Sure…" Ryuuji decided to chance it, "Nanako-chan, I apologize if I am out of line, but you look like something is bothering you."

"It's that obvious, eh?" Nanako looked intently at the flowers.

"I don't know that it's too obvious..." Ryuuji started to say more but Nanako's manic laugh stopped him.

"I'm sorry if you find this insulting Takasu-kun," she coughed a few times as she laughed, "but considering how clueless you were with figuring out Ami's feelings for you… I must really be wearing it on my sleeve for you to notice."

"Hey, that's not fair." Ryuuji knew he could be clueless when it came to himself but still, "she only started liking me since the beginning of this summer break."

"Baka!" Nanako's laughter continued, "She's liked you since last year. She would go sit between those vending machines just waiting for you to come by."

"What?" Ryuuji found that hard to believe, but Ami had been Nanako's friend since shortly after Ami arrived at their high school, so maybe it was true. However, something that bothered Ryuuji more was Nanako's behavior. It wasn't like her to blurt something like that out. And that weird laughter… Remembering the problems that Yuri-sensei had with her pain medication in Okinawa, he looked at the IV bag that was running into her arm and wondered if her actions might be a result of the medication.

"But my problem isn't you." Nanako stopped laughing. "I'm losing my best friend. I don't want to lose her. But I want her to be happy, so I have to lose her. Why didn't Noto just leave me in that field. If I was dead, I wouldn't be unhappy and Maya and Noto could live happily ever after."

"What?" Ryuuji was now very concerned, "Don't say that. Don't ever say that. There is no way Maya could be happy like that. We would all be sad."

"For a little while," Nanako looked up at Ryuuji and blinked her eyes a few times, "but one way or another, she will forget about me. Sooner or later, everyone will…"

Ryuuji looked at her face and what he saw scared him. She wasn't crying, but her face was red and she looked confused as if she wasn't really sure who she was talking to. He had never seen her like that before. He had only ever seen Yuri-sensei like that, and the reason had been… a bad reaction to the pain medicine.

"I'll be right back," Ryuuji assured Nanako, "I just need to talk to the nurse for a minute."

Nanako didn't respond. She just turned her head and gazed out the window.

There was a nurses station only a few dozen meters from her room. Ryuuji approached the nurses and a doctor that was there as well.

"Excuse me," Ryuuji said to get their attention, "I think there might be something wrong with Kashii Nanako's medication."

"Ah," an older nurse peered over her glasses at him, "and you are Doctor… who?"

"No, I'm not." Ryuuji said, "but there is something wrong."

"Describe it to me." the doctor said before the nurse could reply.

"She is saying things she normally wouldn't say and seems confused." Ryuuji thought back across the whole conversation and tried to pick out anything unusual, "Her face is red, she has a cough, she sounds raspy, and she has a blanket wrapped around her even though it isn't that cold in her room." When Ryuuji finished talking, he looked up to see all their eyes open wider than before.

"Have someone put on a sealed mask and go take her temperature." the doctor said to the nurses, "If it is elevated, get swabs and start the quarantine process." Then turning back to Ryuuji, he asked, "How close did you get to her? Has she been out of the country recently?"

"Um… I guess I got as close as two meters to her." Ryuuji said, "But she is here to recover from a snake bite she got on a trip to the Izu Islands. You're not going to tell me that a snake bite is contagious, are you?"

"I'm not worried about the snake bite." the doctor said as he started putting on some sterile gloves, "but the symptoms you described fit a different kind of profile." Looking at Ryuuji he tried to get a read from his expression as to whether he was being truthful. "I'm also concerned that you may be lying to me. You come all the way to the hospital to visit your girlfriend and you stay two meters away from her?"

"She's not my girlfriend." Ryuuji paused in the explanation while the doctor looked in his eyes and mouth, "She is my girlfriend's friend. My girlfriend is on her cell phone outside and will be joining me at any moment."

"That sounds believable." the doctor then turned to the remaining nurses and said, "Let's get temperature and swabs on him. I think he's safe, but we can use it as a baseline in case he becomes symptomatic."

"Symptomatic… of what?" Ryuuji wondered what was going on.

"If you've been watching the news, aside from the coverage of the earthquakes and typhoon, they have also been talking about a flu called H1N1, or the Swine Flu. Have you heard of this?"

"Yes," Ryuuji didn't want to sound like an idiot but he hadn't heard much about it, "I heard they are checking international passengers for it."

"It's bigger than that." the doctor said, "Earlier this year, the World Health Organization declared it a Pandemic."

"How does this affect Nanako?" Ryuuji asked.

"Those symptoms wouldn't come from a recovering snakebite victim and the only thing she is getting in her IV at the moment is a standard hydration agent." the doctor explained, "So she could have a cold, an ordinary flu, or she could have H1N1. Except for the confusion part. That is an emergency warning sign for H1N1 that can't be ignored."

"Oh no…" Ryuuji thought he should tell the doctor everything since this could be serious, "When she was talking… she said things like… she wished she was dead."

"I take it," the doctor's eyebrow went up, "that is not normal for her?"

"I don't think so." Ryuuji said, "I'll ask Ami when she comes in. They have been pretty close friends for over a year." Just then, another four nurses wearing masks came trotting down the hallway toward Nanako's room. One of them called out something to the doctor that Ryuuji didn't catch.

"We are quarantining her room now as a precaution." the doctor told Ryuuji, "blood and swab samples will be sent to the lab. We should know something tomorrow morning."

"How bad is this H1Ni Flu?" Ryuuji asked.

"It's pretty bad as contagions go," the doctor said, "but nobody in Japan has died from it… yet."

.

**Friday afternoon, August 14 – Noto's cousin's house**

* * *

Hisamitsu Noriko was home on her summer break from college. Attending Hokkaido University, she had just finished her first semester at the college and was intending to come home and have a blast with all of her friends. Things hadn't worked out that way though. She had been able to see a few of her friends for the first week or two of the break, but that was about it. Many of them wouldn't be coming home for the break or had intern jobs already.

Even her own parents would be out of town for a while at a convention for accountants. Well, she wasn't so bored that she asked to go along on that trip. As a fall-back, she had called her Uncle's house to see if Noto wanted to hang out with his older cousin. That was a disappointment too. It seemed that Noto and his friends had scored some vacation package and was out of town. At first, she watched a marathon of her favorite crime drama, but even that got old. Finally, out of boredom, she ended up turning into a news junkie while watching all the coverage on the damage from the storm and earthquakes, the growing concern on this HiNi Flu Pandemic, and of course the latest gossip on all the celebrities. Watching the news was something she could do anywhere though and she was seriously considering heading back to Sapporo to see if any of her classmates also had nothing better to do. That's when the phone call came that would change her plans.

"Hello?" Noriko answered the house phone.

"Ah Noto, I'm glad I caught you." a girl's voice said, "It looks like they're moving Maya's release date up, so you better ask if she can stay there starting tomorrow."

"Huh?" Noriko then remembered how all of her family said that she and her cousin sounded alike over the phone. "Oh, I'm not Noto. I'm his cousin, Noriko. I'm afraid he isn't here. He went on a vacation with some of his friends."

"Noriko?" the voice sounded disbelieving, then said, "Um, okay. Well, my name is Ami. The vacation is over and Noto is on his way over there to ask a favor of his Aunt and Uncle."

"They're out of town at a convention..." Noriko was about to tell this girl to try his cell phone when she heard the doorbell. "Just a second, that was the doorbell. He might be here now." Noriko put the phone down and walked the few meters to the front door. Out of habit, she looked through the peep-hole and was about to open the door when she froze. Cautiously, she looked through the peep-hole again.

Their was a guy there that looked nothing like Noto. There were probably posters at the local police station for this guy. He looked dangerous and evil and it looked like he could see her right through the door. Biting her hand to keep from screaming, she started hyperventilating. Legs wobbly, she staggered backwards until she hit the table where the phone was and fell to the floor. Her mind raced with questions. _What does he want from me? I haven't done anything! Did my parents upset a crime syndicate? He looks t_ _oo_ _calm to be a rapist, so that means he's here to beat me up or… kill me!_ In her panic she seized the phone from the table.

"Help!" her voice sounded very small.

"What's wrong?" the girl's voice said over the phone.

"There's an evil man here," she whimpered, "I think he's going to kill me!"

"An evil…" the voice asked, "about a hundred and eighty centimeters tall, black sanpaku eyes, and collar length blue hair?

"Yes?" Noriko was stunned. "How did you know?"

"Ungh… just a minute." The voice seemed to be talking to someone else for a few seconds then Noriko heard a cell phone ring on the other side of the front door. A man's voice answered the phone but she couldn't hear the conversation.

"He just got a call." Noriko told the voice on the phone. In her mind, she wondered if that meant the boss just approved the hit, or called it off. Maybe he was checking to make sure it was the right address.

"Yeah, that was me." the girl said.

"What?" Noriko gasped.

"Go look at him again." the girl told her, "If he is wearing some mirror-shades, his name is Takasu Ryuuji and he is my boyfriend. And, he is Noto's friend from school."

"Wha… what if he isn't wearing mirror-shades?" Noriko whimpered.

"Just scream and I'll send the Police, okay?" the girl sounded pretty sure of herself, so Noriko found the courage to let go of the phone and get back to the door. Looking through the peep-hole she saw the man looking less dangerous in a pair of blue tinted mirror-shades. Still, she had been frightened to the core and she wanted to be very sure before she did anything as foolish as opening the door.

"What's your name?" She called out.

"Noto?" the man sounded confused.

"YOU ARE NOT NOTO!" She yelled at him.

"Oh sorry!," the man yelled back, "When I heard your voice I thought it was Noto. My name is Takasu Ryuuji."

"Oh thank heavens!" She said as the stress left her a little too quickly. She was reaching for the doorknob when her legs gave out and she fell to the wooden floor with a thunk! Instantly, the door flung open and the man rushed in.

"Are you okay?" he was kneeling next to where she had fallen but she could only look at the open door as the blood drained out of her face. _All this time… the door was unlocked!_

Ryuuji saw her eyes rolling up and caught her head before it hit the wooden floor. Looking around, he saw a couch in front of a big screen television. With the snacks and drinks around the couch, it looked like she had been nesting there. Laying her head gently on the floor, he picked up the fallen phone from the table.

"Ami?" Ryuuji asked.

"What happened to Noriko?" Ami countered.

"Noriko. Is that her name?" he asked rhetorically, then answered Ami's question, "she fell in the foyer and feinted."

"She's not the Aunt, is she?"

"No," Ryuuji looked at the girl lying on the floor and evaluated her, "Too young and… she would pass for a twin of Noto."

"No way!" Ami laughed.

"Yeah… look, I'm gonna move her to the couch and wait for her to wake up." Ryuuji said, "If Noto calls, tell him what's going on."

"Okay, take care." Ami hung up and Ryuuji moved into position to lift Noriko from the floor. She was heavier than she looked, but from the tautness of her arms and legs, it looked like it was from muscles. It seemed that she should be pretty strong if she was that well muscled. Ryuuji wondered why someone that strong would be this skittish.

Noriko was on the couch and Ryuuji was looking at the passed out girl. It wasn't just the voice… she really did look like a twin of Noto. The shape of the face, the skin tone, the color or the eyes and hair were all the same. She was maybe a few centimeters shorter, her hair was a little longer, and her chest was… BRA! Ryuuji blushed as he realized that her robe had opened up and he could see her bra as well as her panties. Moving quickly, he closed the robe back up and looked for the belt. The loops sewn into the robe were empty and he couldn't find it on the couch or the floor where she had collapsed. He was on the verge of searching the house for the errant robe belt, but something else was bothering him even more. Looking at the empty drink cans and snack bags, crumbs, and sticky smudges on the glass end table, he had to do something.

.

Noriko woke up to the smell of strong tea. She remembered the strange dream with the hit-man in the mirror-shades coming in through the front door and vowed not to binge-watch crime dramas again. Then, opening her eyes, she saw the hit man seated on the other side of her and quietly sipping from one of her mother's delicately patterned tea cups.

"Tea?" the hit-man asked. She was about to scream, but she also remembered the conversation with the girl on the phone.

"Takasu… Ryuuji?" She asked.

"Yes," Ryuuji tried to reassure the skittish girl, "I am a good friend of Hisamitsu Noto. So, you are his cousin, Hisamitsu Noriko?"

"Yes," she explained, "our fathers are brothers.

"Wow," Ryuuji laughed, "when I saw you I thought you were his twin sister."

"That happens a lot." Noriko felt more at ease with this familiar conversation, "When we were younger, a lot of people thought we were identical twins. It was always fun pretending to be twins, but I am a girl and a year older than him."

"Ah," Ryuuji said as he poured the nervous girl some tea, "so that explains why I haven't seen you at our school."

"You wouldn't have anyway." Noriko said with a little disappointment as she picked up the tea cup and saucer, "We were never in the same schools, but we spent every vacation together. I went to an all-girls high school."

"Oh." Ryuuji wondered if that might have something to do with the skittishness he was seeing in her.

"So," Noriko was impressed with the tea, but still nervous about this scary man in her living room, "not to be rude, but why are you here?"

"Oh, sorry." Ryuuji started to explain, "Noto was supposed to meet me here but he had to go back to the hospital."

"Noto's in the hospital!" Noriko spilled some of the hot tea on her fingers as she sat upright in shock.

"Yes. No. Wait!" Ryuuji put his own cup down and started to explain… again, "Noto is at the hospital but he is visiting his fiancé who is recovering from a severe sunburn and exhaustion."

"Oh… Fiancé!" Noriko cried out again. _Why haven't I heard of this? When did this happen? This can't be!_ She had always hoped that Noto would go to university in Hokkaido and they would finally be together at a school for a few years. Now that dream looked very unlikely.

"What…" she wanted to know all about this fiancé that was sinking her fangs into Noriko's dear cousin, but the scary guy in the room was Noto's friend and possibly the fiancé's friend too. "What happened to her?"

"They went to the Izu Islands for a vacation." Ryuuji told her, "On the first day there, she forgot to put on any sunscreen and ended up with a severe sunburn."

"That's terrible." Noriko sympathized.

"It got worse," Ryuuji continued, "the place where they were staying lost power after the first earthquake, then the typhoon hit them."

"Omygosh!" Noriko gasped, "That really is terrible." She didn't know whether to feel bad for this girl or if she should tell Noto to get away from her before her bad luck rubs off on him.

Ryuuji could tell something was amiss. This was the cousin that Noto said he had always relied on. She was always there for him when he needed help or just someone to talk to. They helped each other with homework and they could always count on each other at the numerous family functions they had both attended since childhood. So, why was it that she seemed stand-offish?

"So, what do you need me for?" Noriko almost pouted.

Ryuuji knew that something was wrong now. The cousin wasn't exactly jumping at the opportunity to be helpful like Noto thought she would. For a moment, he thought that maybe the problem was him but she seemed to have gotten over that… for the most part anyway.

"I should leave." Ryuuji got up from his chair.

"What?" Noriko seemed startled.

"I don't know what's going on here but you and Noto are family so I think you should talk to him about whatever is bothering you." Ryuuji took a step toward the door.

"Wait!" Noriko leaped to her feet and grabbed Ryuuji's arm. Ryuuji immediately looked away from her and she took that as an indication that he would not hear what she had to say. "Have I offended you so much that you won't hear me out?"

"It's not that." Ryuuji tried to find the most delicate way to tell her that her robe had opened up when she got off the couch, "Your robe has no belt."

"Eh?" Noriko looked down at her robe and saw it open and revealing her underwear. "Ah!" Blushing deeply, she let go of Ryuuji and closed her robe. "Please wait for me to change clothes! I'll be right back. But I want to talk… really I do!"

After she had run off to her room, Ryuuji stepped out on the porch and pulled out his cell phone. Looking at the time on the display, he knew they still had time to change the plans to take Maya to Ami's house if Noriko didn't like the idea. But, there was something he needed to find out before Nanako got back. He texted Noto's phone.

 **Ryuuji:** Your cousin is acting weird. Sounds upset about something. You two have a fight?

 **Noto:** No. I haven't talked to her since she went off to university in Hokkaido.

 **Ryuuji:** Everything was okay then?

 **Noto:** Yeah. She was happy. She even said… OMG!

 **Ryuuji:** What?

 **Noto:** Did you tell her that Maya is my fiancé?

 **Ryuuji:** Yes, why?

 **Noto:** She has this dream that I will go to her university when I graduate high school.

 **Ryuuji:** So?

 **Noto:** She probably thinks I won't since I am engaged now.

 **Ryuuji:** Will you?

 **Noto:** Sure, as long as Maya goes too. I don't know if she wants to go that far away though.

 **Ryuuji:** Is she there now?

 **Noto:** Yes.

 **Ryuuji:** BAKA!

 **Noto:** What?

 **Ryuuji:** Ask her now!

 **Noto:** Oh… She says yes.

 **Ryuuji:** Good. I'll explain it to Noriko when she gets some clothes on.

 **Noto:** Ok… WHAT!?

 **Ryuuji:** … I'll explain later.

Noto's last post, and the feeling of finding a solution for Noriko, made Ryuuji happy and his face was wearing that grin that his friends could accept but scared anyone else. Looking up from his phone, he saw Noriko wearing almost exactly the same thing he remembered Noto wearing. It was eerie how similar they looked. Even their clothing selections were similar. Then he saw her face and she looked terrified.

"What?" Ryuuji remembered, "oh yeah… I was laughing. Sorry Noriko, I know I have an ugly face."

"No!" Noriko squeaked, then consciously lowered her voice, "It's not ugly. Just scary. Like a vampire or a..."

"Dragon?" Ryuuji offered.

"Yeah… a dragon," Noriko said, "and when you were baring your teeth at me like that..."

"That was my face's version of a smile." Ryuuji told her.

"Oh." Noriko looked down and could only say, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm used to it." Ryuuji tried to console her, "I think I have some good news for you though."

"Oh?" Noriko looked up.

"Noto and Maya are planning to go to your university." Ryuuji told her.

"Really!" Noriko actually jumped for joy as she cried out, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Hey, whoa!" Ryuuji tried to calm the girl down, "Are you sure you're older than Noto?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear that all the time too." Noriko said, "Just cause I know how to show it when I'm excited and Noto is all restrained and logical." Ryuuji had to laugh since she did a perfect imitation of Noto when she said that line.

"Look, since you're dressed, do you want to go up to the hospital and see Noto and meet Maya?" Ryuuji suggested.

"Sure, let me turn off the television and lock up first." Noriko turned and ran back inside.

At first he heard her running around but then she seemed to stop. He walked inside and saw her standing in front of the television with the remote in her hand but watching the program. Ryuuji turned to see what had captivated her so much and saw Ami and Hisako on the screen. It wasn't from one of the photo shoots. They didn't look all dressed up and there was a Marine with them. Ryuuji realized this was the footage from when they were helping with the relief efforts in Hyogo Prefecture from a few days ago.

"They've got it so wrong." Noriko laughed at the reporting.

"What?" Ryuuji wondered what she saw that was so wrong.

"Do you know who they are?" Noriko pointed at the screen.

"Kawashima Ami and Kurosawa Hisako." Ryuuji answered.

"That may be Kawashima Ami, but there is no way she would be within ten kilometers of that back stabbing Kurosawa."

"I bet you're wrong about that." Ryuuji tried to keep his poker face on.

"You'll lose," Noriko said confidently, "I can pull up a dozen articles that prove I'm right."

"Proof huh?" Ryuuji was really starting to hate these magazines, "All right. You're on."

"Baka!" Noriko laughed at Ryuuji, "Okay, here's the deal. You have to prove to me that you are right. If you can't, you have to clean this whole house from top to bottom."

"Agreed," Ryuuji allowed himself to smile now as he replied, "and if I win, you have to apologize to Kurosawa Hisako and you have to take care of Maya until she is completely recovered from her sunburn."

"Deal," Noriko shook Ryuuji's hand on the bet and said, "you really are an idiot. I would have taken care of Noto's fiancé anyway. So, wiseguy, where is your proof?"

"Come with me to the hospital and you'll see." Ryuuji gave her a most unnerving smile.

.

**Friday evening, August 14 – University Hospital**

* * *

"They're here," Ami said to the room after reading the text message from her phone, "places, everyone." Noto moved to stand at the foot of Maya's bed facing the door. Maya was still laying down but she was ready to get up after being in a hospital for so long. Ami and Hisako stood off to the side so they wouldn't be seen immediately. When the door opened, all of them except Noto were in for a shock. For a moment, it looked like another Noto came into the room and made a beeline for their Noto.

"Noto!" the feminine version of Noto squealed as she wrapped him up in an emotional hug, "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Noriko." Noto blushed from the exuberance of his cousin's hug, "I'd like to introduce you to my fiancé, Kihara Maya."

"Oh wow, you're so pretty." Noriko gushed, "I can't wait to get to know you while you're staying over at my place."

"Thank you, Hisamitsu-san!" Maya blushed at the warm welcome from the exuberant feminine version of her boyfriend.

"Oh please," Noriko said, "we will be relatives soon. And, according to my cousin here, we will be going to the same university next year! So call me Noriko-chan, and may I call you Maya-chan?"

"Yes," an almost flabbergasted Maya said, "please do. I would like that, Noriko-chan."

"Noriko, I would like to introduce you to one of Maya's best friends, and Ryuuji's girlfriend," Noto directed his cousin's attention to the tall, blue haired girl with the violet eyes, "Kawashima Ami."

"Hello, I'm glad..." Noriko's mouth froze on the word and her eyes opened wide as she looked at the young model standing on the other side of the hospital bed from her in this very same room. _Wait a minute! Did Noto just say that Kawashima Ami is this evil looking guy's girlfriend?"_

"And finally, I would like to introduce you to one of Ami's best friends," Noto indicated the even taller girl with the long black hair and purple eyes, "Kurosawa Hisako."

"Eh!" Noriko was shocked yet again. _So that's why this evil looking bastard was so confident._ She started laughing and slapped Ryuuji's shoulder, "Okay, you win… you win."

Ami picked up on something odd about the cousin's reaction. Her laugh seemed forced and her words were ready… as if they were lines that had been practiced. Looking at Noto, Ami could see another forced smile. The way his face was coloring and the look in his eyes told her that behind the happy mask, he was… upset.

"Kurosawa Hisako," Noriko said sweetly, "please accept my apologies for believing the lies and rumors about you."

"Thank you, I…" Hisako was cut off when Ami grabbed her arm. "Ami?"

"You should not accept this apology." Ami said without any emotion in her voice. However, she never took her eyes off Noriko while she spoke to Hisako, "You can tell that she is not sincere, can't you."

"Yes," Hisako turned away from Noriko and Ami and said, "I was just allowing her to save face."

"What?" Noriko was trying to sound innocent, but ended up sounding nervous, "What do you mean?"

"Noto," Ami still kept her eyes on Noriko, "your cousin is starting to piss me off." The message was clear. Ami wanted Noto to remove his cousin from the room and give her a good talking to about her behavior.

"Oh no." Noriko said defiantly, "You've got it all wrong, Kawashima-san. I am the elder here and it's you and Noto that need a lesson in propriety. You and Noto and I are from well known, respected families." Her defiance escalated to anger as she demanded, "What are you thinking? How can you be associating with these no-names? You can't be serious about dating or marriage with these people, can you?"

Maya started to cry. She wanted to turn away and hide, but Noto wouldn't let go of her hand. In fact, he held her more firmly now. Maya turned to Noto and saw a part of him she had never seen. Like Ami, his eyes never left his cousin, but he raised his hand to show how he was holding onto Maya and he moved a little closer to her. His body could not block Maya from hearing the hurtful words, but with his actions he showed his cousin that those words had no meaning for him at all. The tears were still in Maya's eyes, but the meaning had changed; she looked at her Noto with new admiration and pride. Maya felt like she was falling in love all over again.

Ryuuji was unphased by Noriko's words. All of his life, he had heard far worse things from parents, classmates, teachers, and even kids he thought were his friends. He was disappointed in her, but not really surprised. He was more worried about how this would affect Noto.

Hisako knew the hurtful words were true of her as well. She had made it on her own from the beginning and had no esteemed family name to sully when the press started dragging her through the mud. At the time, she had seen that as a blessing, but now… She wondered if she might truly be holding Ami back, just by associating with her. Nothing good had ever lasted for Hisako; perhaps it was time to go her own way before Ami discovered something unforgivable about her and they really did have a nasty fight.

Ami could feel Hisako's pain and calmly took her friends hand. Hisako reacted with a small jolt and started to pull away at first, but Ami held on. The message was clear. _Don't you dare pull away from me now! I want you right here by my side._ Ami was about to say something to Noriko when Noto responded.

"Noriko," Noto got his cousin's attention, "you used to be a good person. Someone I admired and respected. Someone I loved."

"Oh Noto!" An elated Noriko started to move toward her cousin but his next words stopped and stunned her.

"Stay back!" he said angrily, "I don't know what happened to you. Maybe it was that elitist high school you went to, or maybe you were always like this but I was too blind to see. I don't… I don't know you any more."

"Noto!" Noriko sounded panicked, "Don't say that. It's us: Noriko and Noto… just like it's always been. Like it always will be. Acquaintances come and go but we'll always have each other." With no response from Noto, she was starting to sound desperate, "I promised I would always be there for you and you promised you would always be there for me. You're not going to break that promise are you? Are you?"

"You're not the person I made that promise to." Noto said. Noto was about to say that the person he knew was gone and he didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore, but he remembered that eventful day in the classroom. The day Kitamura hit Ryuuji with a desk and said that the Ryuuji he knew was gone. Kitamura had given up that day, but Ryuuji came back. Looking at Ryuuji now, Noto was convinced that Ryuuji came back stronger than ever.

"You need help, Noriko. You need the kind of help that I can't give you." Noto said with a little less anger in his voice, "I don't know what happened to the sweet and kind Noriko that I used to know, but I only hope that someday I can welcome her back."

"No… Noto." Noriko was confused and frightened. How could her dear Noto be saying these things? Why hadn't he listened to her. She was only ever looking out for him. Only trying to do what was in his best interests. Surely he could appreciate that?

"For now, I hope you understand why I must say this." Noto looked up at his cousin and sadly told her, "I think you should leave now. Please do not contact me. And..." he squeezed Maya's hand as he said, "do not come to my wedding."

"Noto..." Noriko pleaded. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she reached out to the cousin that she loved. The cousin that was rejecting her.

"No!" he recoiled from her reach as if she were something putrid and vile. Not even looking at her, he said, "Just go."

Without another word, Noriko ran from the room. No-one followed her or said anything for several minutes. When Noto cleared his throat as if he were about to say something, Hisako broke away from Ami, marched over to stand in front of Noto and glared at him.

"If you even start to apologize for any of that, I will slap your face off your head." Hisako declared.

"Eh?" Noto was confused.

"She has a mean slap." Ryuuji warned his friend.

"But..." Noto was cut off.

"She's right," Ami said, "you have nothing to apologize for. That was all on her."

Noto was considering arguing the point. It had been his suggestion to bring her to Maya's room and meet them. His musings were interrupted by a nurse wearing a health mask.

"Excuse me?" the nurse called into the room from the door, "We will have a wheelchair to walk you out in ten minutes. Can you be ready by then?"

"Huh?" Maya asked, "I thought I wasn't being released until tomorrow morning?"

"Oh uh… something has come up and we need to clear all the beds we can." the nurse said nervously.

"What happened?" Maya asked.

"Um, I can't really discuss..." the nurse was clearly uncomfortable talking about it and jolted when Ryuuji spoke.

"H1N1, right?" Ryuuji looked at the startled nurse and took her reaction as a confirmation, "It's okay I already know. We will be ready in time."

"Thank you." the nurse bowed briefly and hurried off.

"Come on Noto," Ryuuji said as he turned for the door, "Ami and Hisako can have Maya ready faster if we give them a little privacy."

.

The quarantine was growing. The hospital needed more beds for patients diagnosed with the H1N1 symptoms. Patients for which there was as yet, no cure – to protect uninfected people from a virus for which there was still no vaccine. Like so many other people, Maya was still unaware of the growing pandemic, and that her best friend was caught up in it. As Ryuuji and Noto stood in front of the door to Maya's room, they both worried about Nanako and wondered how badly Maya would take this news.

.

**Saturday morning, August 15 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Everyone's attention was suddenly riveted to the television as the normal program was interrupted with the special announcement from the Ministry of Health. Japan had just had its first fatality from the H1N1 Flu. Although they announced that it was in the Okinawa Prefecture, there were not many details and not many suggestions for what to do other than to be careful.

Maya looked around at everyone and wondered why they were all taking this news so hard. For a moment she wondered if the man that died might have been someone they had met on their recent trip to Okinawa, but she noticed Noto was also despondent and he had not been on that trip. Even the normally bouncy and cheerful Yasuko was looking concerned.

"What's going on?" Maya saw everyone stiffen when she asked that question but only Hisako would look at her. It definitely felt like everyone knew something and was hiding it from her.

"Maya-chan..." Hisako started to say.

"No." Noto stopped her, "I intend to marry her and there will be some times when a husband's responsibility is to give his wife... bad news."

"Bad news?" Maya looked at Noto. With growing trepidation she asked again, "What's going on?"

"Maya," Noto held her hand, "Nanako was diagnosed with H1N1. The hospital has quarantined her."

"What?" Maya looked terrified, "They're going to give her the cure, right?"

"There is no cure." Hisako said, "they can only treat the symptoms and let the body fight the virus."

"But… Nanako is strong! She can beat this, right?" Maya asked hopefully.

"Of course," Noto looked around the room to let them know that they had told her enough for now, "That is what we all must hope."

Everyone else was hopeful but they knew what Ryuuji had told them – what the doctor had told Ryuuji. Even young, healthy people were dying from this strain of the flu. And with Nanako's body already weak from fighting the effects of the snake venom, her chances were not as good as they could have been.


	19. Funny Hats

**Monday morning, August 17 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Physically, Maya was doing much better. The sunburn had faded, the blisters were gone, the pain was gone, and most of the peeling was done. But her problem wasn't physical; Maya’s best friend was still in quarantine in the hospital for something that was killing people indiscriminately. It hit the old, and people with breathing issues the hardest, but it was killing healthy young people too. She wanted to be there with Nanako. Maya wanted to be by her friend's side as she fought to survive. But no-one was allowed to visit the quarantine ward… not even family.

Noto was trying to help by researching everything he could find on this virus so that they would all understand what it meant when Nanako's mother, or the hospital called to give them any news. However, Noto was frustrated with the lack of information that was available. That was one of the problems with a new viral strain, nobody knew what to expect or how to react.

Koigakubo Yuri had spoken with Nanako's mother at length. The poor woman was in a very difficult situation. She wanted to rush home on the next train. She wanted to be with her daughter too, but the hospital wouldn't allow that – even if she did come home immediately. And if she came home to wait for news in her empty apartment, she wouldn't be working.

After only a brief discussion with Ami and Yasuko, Yuri offered to be a temporary guardian for Nanako in case the Hospital needed someone with legal authority to respond quickly. Yuri hoped that her assistance would be her availability to pick up Nanako when she got better… No-one wanted to discuss the other responsibility of a temporary guardian for someone that was critically ill. Nanako's mother considered the offer a godsend and thanked Yuri profusely. Yuri felt good that she was able to give the worried mother some comfort and wished she could do as much for her student.

That was yesterday. Today, Yuri was at the kitchen table and on the phone with the hospital. To everyone else gathered around, it looked like all the blood had drained from her face. Maya was also seated at the table. Her face looked like she was terrified to hear whatever it was that had scared her sensei, but she didn't flee. Noto was standing behind her with his hands lightly on her shoulders in hopes that the physical contact might give her some support. Ami was seated between Ryuuji and Hisako. She was concentrating on the telephone conversation so much, she hadn't noticed that she was holding their hands. Yasuko moved up behind Yuri and put her hands on Yuri's shoulders like Noto was doing with Maya. Yuri's free hand instantly came up and held Yasuko's hand as a tear rolled down her cheek. Reflexively, Maya reached up and grasped Noto's hand too.

“I understand,” Yuri finished the conversation, “thank you.” She hung up the phone and bowed her head for a moment to collect her thoughts.

“Um…” Maya started to beg for her sensei to say something but Noto squeezed her hand and she refrained. His gentle squeeze reminded her that this couldn't be easy for sensei either.

“The hospital was unable to get in touch with Nanako's mother and they need someone with legal guardianship to give permission…” Yuri took a deep breath to try not to lose it.

“Permission for what?” Maya couldn't hold back.

“Nanako's brain is swelling. They are puzzled by this because it is not a normal symptom of the flu as they know it.” Yuri said.

“Oh no!” Maya started to cry. This all sounded so terrifying to her.

“They needed permission to put her into a medically induced coma.” Yuri told them.

“Ah!” Almost everyone at the table was alarmed. The word 'coma' induced fear in just about everyone.

“Oh, is that all?” Noto asked.

“Huh?” everyone gaped as they turned to Noto.

“A medically induced coma isn't a big concern,” Noto responded, “They can bring you out of it as easily as they put you in. It's nothing like a coma due to a head injury or a violent psychological break.”

“Really?” Maya asked hopefully.

“Absolutely.” Noto said confidently. Everyone felt a great relief at Noto's explanation. Noto was glad that he could alleviate some of the worry, concern, and fear in the room. But, behind his own pokerface, he was aware of the real concern. Nowhere, in any of the research that he had made into this virus, was there ever any mention of the brain swelling, or intracranial pressure.

“I want to go see her.” Maya whimpered.

“She's still in quarantine.” Yuri replied without looking up. It was the automatic reply now, whenever anyone made that comment.

“But you will let us know as soon as we can visit, right?” Noto asked as he picked up Maya's small suitcase and helped her up from her chair. This was the last day of Maya's outpatient convalescence at Ami’s house, and Noto had planned a busy day for his future bride.

“Absolutely,” Ami hugged Maya and looked into her eyes, “but you need to take care of yourself and keep believing she will get better. After all, when she does wake up and can have visitors, you don't want to depress her by being all mopey, right?”

“Yeah,” Maya smiled through her tears, “I'll try.”

.

Maya still wore clothes that covered as much of her skin as possible. She carried a parasol and tried to avoid direct exposure to the sun. Aside from that being the advice of the doctor that had been treating her, she had just got over the most brutal sunburn in her life and did not want to repeat that experience any time soon. The only problem was, she looked really old dressed like this.

“So,” Noto asked, “how are you and Ami now?”

“Eh?” Maya wondered why he was asking about that.

“It's been almost a week now since… Izu Island.” Noto didn't quite know the best way to put what had happened there in fewer words than what would make a nice short story. “And, you did spend the last three days at her house.”

“Yeah,” Maya winced, “I was being pretty stupid huh?”

“I don't think so,” Noto said as he put his arm around her, “I think it was a pretty normal reaction. But, I do think you would have been stupid not to accept her for who she really is.”

“Yeah,” Maya agreed, “the real Ami is pretty amazing. I want to be like her when I grow up.”

“Then I will have to be like Ryuuji.” Noto said while trying to make a scary face.

“Hee hee!” Maya laughed at Noto's impression of Ryuuji then asked, “Why would you need to be like Ryuuji?” Maya asked.

“Do you really think Ami could be that amazing if Ryuuji wasn’t there to hold her up and support her every step of the way?” Noto asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“No,” Maya was puzzled, “Ami is the one holding Ryuuji up...”

“Heh,” Noto laughed, “if you don’t want to look too deeply at Ami, you don’t have to. But don’t put her on a pedestal either. She has insecurities and fears just like the rest of us. It may not look like it on the surface, but believe me – it is Ryuuji that gives her the strength to go on.”

Maya wanted to argue his view for a moment, but had second thoughts. She was already having to rethink her idea of who Ami was, so maybe Noto was right. The more she thought about it, the more she believed Noto's view. After all, it made Ami more real, _more like… me. Perhaps Ryuuji does give her the strength to go on._ _And you give me that strength._ Maya thought as she looked fondly at her fiancé. Maya smiled as positive emotions and pleasant thoughts turned into a promise: _I have Noto. I got Ami back. In the last three days, I got to be pampered by the world's greatest Onee-chan. If I can get Nanako back, I will dance!_

.

**Friday morning, August 21 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Hisako had finished her morning exercises with Ami and Ryuuji and was back at the house. She decided to give the two love-birds a break and let them go shopping with each other. Yasuko was still out with Yuri at her physical therapy session. They were spending more time at those sessions so Yasuko could learn how to do the therapy sessions with Yuri and also to learn what kinds of exercises she should avoid while Yuri's leg was still healing.

With her hair still up in a towel, Hisako was wondering what she could be doing when she heard a phone ring. It sounded like the old style telephones that she remembered from her childhood. Walking into the kitchen she saw it mounted on the wall with a long handset cord that hung almost to the floor. She had seen it before but didn't notice it like you don't notice unremarkable art in a hallway. She hadn't imagined the thing was still functional. Not only did it appear to be functional, there was a white-board and some markers next to the phone for taking messages. Fighting off a particularly strong wave of nostalgia, she called upon skills she hadn't used in over a decade and answered the phone.

“Hello?” Hisako said. Normally she would have said _Kawashima residence_ , but years of dealing with stalkers, hate calls, crank calls, and bill collectors, made her wary of identifying herself or her location any more.

“Hisako?” Maya's voice came over the phone.

“Yeah,” Hisako answered, “What's up Maya?”

“Is everything okay over there?” Maya asked, “You sound… different.”

“Yeah, everything is fine.” Hisako finally laughed, “I was just kinda shocked that this phone actually works. I honestly thought it was just art.”

“Oh yeah,” Maya said, “Ami said her aunt keeps that old phone because it still works in typhoons and earthquakes.”

“Huh?” Hisako never heard of a phone being typhoon-proof before.

“Yeah,” Maya explained, “in big natural disasters, the old phones still seem to work even when people can't get through on cell phones.”

“Huh, I didn't know that.” Considering the traumatic experiences that some of their group had been through just a few weeks ago, a reliable phone line suddenly seemed like a really good idea to Hisako now.

“Anyway, I got this message to call in. Is there some news on Nanako?” Maya sounded both hopeful and scared.

“Oh yeah – and don't worry. It's good news… mostly.” Hisako's voice sounded soothing and calm, “But don't start getting dressed to rush over to the hospital either. The good news is that she is probably coming out of quarantine tomorrow. The bad news is that she won't be coming out of the coma until Monday at the earliest.”

“Aww.” Maya wanted to go see Nanako as soon as she was out of quarantine, but it looked like her friend would still be asleep for another two days.

“That gives us all day Sunday for the Funny Hat Party.” Hisako said.

“Eh… what?” Maya had never heard of this.

“You know,” Hisako explained, “we show up tomorrow with a camera and lots of funny hats. We get tons of pictures while she is still in the coma.” Hisako was half-joking and wondered what response she would get from Nanako's best friend.

“Oh my…” Part of Maya wanted to rebuke Hisako for even thinking of doing such a thing to her unconscious friend… but another side of her really wanted to play dress-up with the best doll ever. Maya did suspect that Hisako might be joking so she decided to counter by asking, “What time do you want to meet up?”

“Eh?” Hisako was briefly stunned, but recovered quickly, “Let's meet there at 9AM. Bring all the funny hats and anything else you want to get in a picture with her. This should be fun!”

Maya was worried that she would feel guilty after hanging up the phone but felt instead a mounting excitement. Hisako was right, this should be fun. Nanako will enjoy the pictures. Of course she will… and she might even forgive Maya… eventually.

.

**Sunday morning, August 23 – University Hospital**

* * *

Noto helped Maya carry several large boxes into the hospital room where their sleeping friend was. It was good to see that she was out of quarantine, but their hearts ached to see her awake and responsive again. When they got to the room, they saw that Hisako was already there and that there was another patient in the same room as well. In the bed closest to the window was another girl that looked like she was still in grade school. She was awake and talking to Hisako when they came in.

When Noto and Maya saw the young girl, they stopped in their tracks. With her diminutive body, cherub-like face, and explosion of orange-gold hair, she could pass for a younger version of Taiga. Both of them blanched as they had the same thought, _Will this kid still be in the room when Ryuuji comes to visit?_

“These are two of Nanako's bestest friends, Noto-kun and Maya-chan.” Hisako introduced them after they set their boxes down, “And this is Nanako-chan's room mate, Aiko-chan.”

“Hi!” They all said to each other.

“How old are you, Aiko-chan?” Maya asked.

“I just turned nine years old!” the happy girl said in delight at the attention all these older kids were giving her.

“Aiko-chan, we're going to go out in the hall and say goodbye to Noto-kun, but Maya and I will be right back, okay?” Hisako said to the smiling girl.

“Wait,” Maya asked defensively, “why does Noto have to leave?”

“I guess he doesn't have to,” Hisako said innocently, “but the first thing we're going to do is take Nanako's gown off of her and give her a bath.”

“Yeah,” Maya said as she turned to her boyfriend, “you have to go now.”

.

“Okay, spill…” Hisako said as soon as they were out of the room, “why did the two of you look like you had seen a ghost when you saw that little girl?”

“She looks a lot like Aisaka Taiga.” Noto said quietly.

“The one that walked out on Ryuuji?” Hisako asked.

“Yeah.” Maya confirmed.

“Damn…” Hisako looked dejected, “I was hoping we could help her.”

“What do you mean?” Maya asked.

“Both of her parents are still in quarantine and they're not doing so well.” Hisako told them, “She recovered pretty quickly but she has nowhere to go.”

“You really do have a big heart.” Maya smiled. Maya was also glad that the more she got to know this raven haired beauty, the more she got to like her. Of course, since she started off hating and despising Hisako, the only direction to go was up.

“I have a weakness for cute little girls.” Hisako confessed.

“Oh,” Maya smirked, “then I guess I'm safe.”

“No you're not.” Hisako grinned menacingly, “I'm about fifteen centimeters taller than both you and Nanako. To me, you're both cute little girls.”

“Eep!” Maya backed into Noto as Hisako raised her hands like claws towards Maya's chest.

“About Aiko-chan,” Noto attempted to change the conversation, “I'll let Ami know the situation, and I'll talk to my mother. One way or another, she will have a place to call home until her parents are able to get her.”

“Wow,” Hisako's hands dropped from the claw positions only centimeters away from a relieved Maya, “Is he always this noble?”

“Yes,” Maya blushed, “yes he is.”

“You'd better hang onto this guy with both hands.” Hisako advised.

.

After Noto left, Hisako and Maya worked together to give Nanako a sponge bath. The nurses provided a cart that allowed them to put Nanako's head over a basin and wash her long purple hair. Through it all, little Aiko watched in amazement.

“You really love her, don’t you?” Aiko asked.

“We do, but what made you say that?” Hisako asked.

“My mommy washes me like that sometimes.” Aiko sighed.

Maya looked up at Hisako and they both nodded. It looked like their plans just got a little bigger, but that was okay – they had all day.

.

**Sunday afternoon, August 23 – Shrine park**

* * *

Ami looked at the picture that had been sent to her cell phone. She gasped at how remarkable the resemblance was between Aiko-chan and Taiga. Her first reaction was to text back and decline, but she had heard from Hisako and Maya, that appearance was the only way that the two girls were similar. Aiko-chan had an open, cheerful personality. She was the same height as Taiga but, for a nine year old, she was considered very tall for her age. For some reason, Ami found that part to be quite endearing. Ami decided to take a chance.

“This is a picture of the little girl that Hisako wants us to take in for a while.” Ami said as she passed her phone to Yasuko and Yuri. Both of them gasped and looked up at Ami. “What do you think?”

“I would like to take her in, but…” Yasuko looked down and said, “this is your house and… it has been your plan that has helped Ryu-chan so much. I will accept whatever decision you make.”

Ami had expected a response like that from Yasuko. She knew she had earned Yasuko's complete trust and loyalty, but it had come at the expense of Yasuko thinking for herself sometimes. Sooner or later, Ami would have to sit down with her Onee-chan and explain just how much of Ryuuji’s recovery had been luck and his own determination. Instead of pressing Yasuko now, she turned to Yuri.

“Sensei?” she asked her teacher.

“For the most part, I agree with Onee-chan.” Yuri said, “But I would add that Takasu-kun seems to have made a lot of progress and I don’t think this is something that will set him back.”

“I agree.” Ami said as she called out, “Ryuuji!”

Ryuuji was on his way back from the drink machines when he heard Ami’s call. Apparently the women were done with whatever sensitive thing they needed to talk about. He knew something was up when Ami suddenly needed him to run ahead and buy drinks for everyone, so he had taken his time at the machine and kept an eye on them. After Ryuuji handed out the drinks, Ami handed over her cell phone.

“This is a picture of the little girl in the same hospital room with Nanako. The one that Hisako and Maya have been telling us about.” Ami asked him, “What do you think?”

“Interesting,” Ryuuji said as he studied the picture. He did see a resemblance to Taiga, but to him it seemed superficial. “Do you plan on making her a model?”

“Eh?” Ami had not expected that response.

“From this picture, it looks like she is lithe, cute, geometrically balanced… I was just wondering.”

“Hmm…” Ami took back her phone and gave the picture another look, “I guess we could think about that but for right now, we’ll just be watching her for a few days until her parents recover.”

“She can sleep with me!” Yasuko volunteered before anyone could bring up the subject.

“That would take care of the sleeping arrangement.” Ryuuji agreed.

“All right then,” Ami said as she stood up, “lets go to the hospital and pick up another little sister for Onee-chan.” The words 'happy' and 'excited' did not begin to cover the state that Yasuko was now in.

.

**Sunday evening, August 23 – University Hospital**

* * *

Noto had rejoined the girls in the hospital room that Aiko-chan shared with the unconscious Nanako. The dressing up and pictures activity had been a lot of fun. Without any prompting at all, Aiko-chan begged to be included in the fun so there were lots of pictures of her as well. To Hisako's surprise, Maya had arrived with a lot more than just funny hats. At first, Noto wondered why Maya and Nanako would have bought all these costumes, but it became apparent to him as he handled the different pieces that these were all home made. His regard for Nanako's sewing skills went up a notch after seeing the quality of the materials and workmanship that went into making all of these pieces.

Noto helped the girls change from one costume to the next for some of the outfits, but for others, he had to leave the room while the girls changed. The bunny outfits in particular were more like swim-wear with matching bunny ears. There were several of these outfits, and Noto was treated to quite a sight when he was allowed back into the room. Nanako was dressed in a dark purple bunny outfit with matching ears. Noto realized that Nanako must have put a lot of thought into the fabric selection when she made this one. With her own purple hair, the colors could have easily clashed, but instead, they complemented each other nicely. Maya was in a matching red bunny outfit and sitting to Nanako's left. Hisako wore a white bunny outfit and sat to Nanako's right. As they had in other pictures, the girls held Nanako's sleeping body in position for the pictures as Noto snapped away. He also got some pictures of Maya and Hisako posing with little Aiko-chan in a bright green bunny outfit that barely fit her. It had obviously been made for someone with similar body dimensions. Maya didn't recall ever seeing it before and Noto wondered if Nanako had intended it for Taiga. The one place that it didn't fit too well was the chest. Noto chuckled as he thought of what Taiga's reaction would be if she found out that something that was made for her was too small for a nine year old because the grade schooler had larger breasts.

All of this activity had attracted the attention from the hospital staff and there were often several nurses or even doctors in the room to see the costumes and watch the girls pose for some of the pictures. Seeing little Aiko-chan laughing and happy cheered up the hospital workers that knew of the little girl's situation. It didn't take long for someone to suggest that they visit some of the other children in the ward and see if they could be cheered up as well. When Noto texted Ryuuji to let him know why he and the girls might not be in Nanako's room, he got back a message to make sure he got lots of pictures of Hisako trying to cheer up the children.

“He's at it again.” Noto smiled as he read the message. Maya leaned over and read the message from Noto's phone.

“Hey!” she complained, “Why just her? I'm doing this too.”

“Since he knows that I'm the one taking the pictures, he probably assumes that I'll be taking plenty of pictures of you.” Noto said as he plunked Maya on the forehead, “But he wants pictures of Hisako for publicity shots.”

“Huh?” Maya didn't know why Ryuuji would want these pictures. He already had lots of pictures of Hisako taken by professional photographers using much better cameras.

“Even though these are amateur shots taken with a consumer grade camera, they can still be used to help salvage Hisako's image when the magazine prints the article about the truth.” Noto explained.

Maya didn't respond. She just looked at Noto with astonishment.

“What?” Noto asked after seeing her amazed expression.

“Someday I'm going to get used to you reading my mind.” Maya hoped.

Noto smiled and took Maya's hand as they walked into the next hospital room.

.

Nanako was alone in the room when Ami arrived with Ryuuji, Yasuko, and Yuri. She was back to wearing only her hospital gown and appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Ami went to Nanako immediately and held her friend’s limp hand.

“Tomorrow.” Ami smiled as she promised the unconscious girl, “You're coming home with me tomorrow.”

A year ago, Maya had formed an immediate bond with Ami, but it always seemed that Nanako was there because Maya was bringing her along for the ride. There had been a few times that it had only been Ami and Nanako when Maya was out sick or called away for some other reason, but they had been awkward times. It was not easy to prattle on about useless things like she could with Maya. It had always felt like there was a distance there.

But that had changed when Ami came back from the recent Tokyo trip. Nanako seemed to not just accept the real Ami, but warm up to her. They still didn't prattle, but that was just something that Nanako didn't do. Her conversations were more meaningful. Nanako was a more down-to-earth girl and the new Ami seemed to be just fine with that. Ami had thought about this quite a bit when Maya wasn't talking to her. It didn’t feel as if she liked Maya any less, but she certainly liked Nanako more than she used to.

If there was any doubt about Ami's feelings, one had only to look at her response to the issue of Nanako's outpatient care. There had been some discussion whether Maya would be staying with one of Noto's relatives or with Ami, but there was never any question about Nanako. The phone conversation with Kashii-san had been brief and to the point. Nanako would be staying at the Kawashima house, she would be cared for by a friend, a teacher, and the best Onee-chan in the world. She would be staying at the Kawashima house until the doctors said it would be okay for her to live on her own again. Period.

Nanako's mother had been a little surprised at Ami's insistence, but had accepted the offer with gratefulness. Being faced with the options of staying home and taking care of her daughter or keeping her job, Ami's demands had saved her from making a very difficult decision.

Not long after they arrived, Noto and his party returned to the room and Ryuuji got to meet Aiko-chan in person. He knew that everyone was concerned for him and they were worried that the cute little girl's appearance might be a problem. They still had Aiko-chan in her green bunny costume, but she was riding into the room in a wheelchair pushed by one of the nurses.

“Ah!” Aiko-chan cried out when she say Ryuuji, “You're Takasu-kun!”

“That's right,” Ryuuji realized that Hisako and Maya probably showed the little girl pictures of all the people that would be coming to visit, “and you are Aiko-chan.”

“Yes!” The exuberant nine year old said as she bounded out of her wheelchair to stand in front of Ryuuji.

“Wow, you're really tall for a nine year old aren't you?” Ryuuji noticed that she was the same height as Taiga at half the age.

“Yeah,” Aiko-chan answered but seemed somewhat deflated at Ryuuji's observation.

“You don't like being tall?” Ryuuji asked.

“No.” Aiko replied sullenly as the nurses settled her back into her bed.

Ami and Hisako knew why she didn’t like being tall. Sometimes it was okay, or even fun to be the tallest kid in the class, but there were times when it wasn't so nice. They had both been picked on when they were in grade school and middle school too. Shorter boys would call you a freak and you could never wear the cute clothes other girls wore because it wasn't available in your size. Ryuuji knew better than most how hard it was to be different from the other kids at school.

“Let me show you something.” Ryuuji sat down next to Aiko’s bed and pulled out a portfolio from the satchel he had brought with him. He handed it over to the young girl and watched her expression brighten as she saw the pictures of the beautiful girls in the pretty clothes.

“So pretty!” she cried out as she turned to the next page. She froze as her eyes fell on one picture of three girls together. There was a girl with red hair, a girl with blue hair, and a girl with black hair. All of the girls were pretty in the pastel sun dresses they were wearing, but it was the picture of the black haired girl that got her attention.

“Hisako-chan, Hisako-chan, Hisako-chan!” Aiko cried out, “This is you!”

“That’s right.” Hisako smiled at someone that could see her publicity pictures and not be repulsed.

“Look at the girl with the blue hair and look at Ami-chan.” Ryuuji suggested.

“It’s you!” Aiko squealed when she made the connection.

“Hisako-chan is the oldest.” Ryuuji told the little girl, “she is the age of a college student. Ami-chan is in high school. The girl with red hair is in middle school.”

“Really?” Aiko looked back at the pictures and noticed that the red haired girl looked to be the same height as Hisako-chan.

“That’s right.” Ryuuji told her, “They are all models.” Ryuuji let the little girl think that over as she turned the pages and looked at more of the Red, Black & Blue publicity pictures.

“They are so pretty.” Aiko-chan sighed.

“Just like you.” Ryuuji said.

If Aiko had been a little older, she might have blushed at Ryuuji’s complement. Instead, she started giggling as if he were tickling her.

“Do you know what else you have in common with them?” Ryuuji asked.

“What?” Aiko wondered.

“You are all tall.” Ryuuji told her.

“Huh?” Aiko was confused. She pointed at Hisako and Ami and said, “I’m not as tall as them!”

“No,” Hisako said, “but you are tall for your age. I was the tallest girl in my class all the way through school.”

“Really?” Aiko smiled. It may have been the first time she ever had happy thoughts about being tall in her life.

.

**Monday night, August 24 – University Hospital**

* * *

Nanako woke up in a hospital room feeling hungry. Looking around, she saw that she was the one in the hospital bed and hooked up to an IV bag. She wondered what had happened. She also saw some of her friends in the room with her but they were all asleep. Judging from the darkness outside the windows, she wondered why they were still there. Surely visiting hours should be over by now? The clock said it was a few minutes after ten. How strange…

Over on the bench seat in front of the window, Ryuuji and Ami were leaning against each other as they slept. Nanako smiled at how natural it looked to see the two of them together. She had accepted it, but she had never been fond of matching Taiga with Ryuuji. Sure, Taiga was interesting to have around, but nowhere near stable enough, or reliable enough to be a girlfriend or… a wife. She didn't like seeing the emotional hell that Ryuuji had gone through after Taiga's little disappearing act, but at least he had come to his senses and moved on with his life. And Ami… Maya might have been fooled by the ditzy facade that Ami had used when she came to their school, but Nanako had never been completely convinced by the act. Nanako wasn't sure what kind of person was behind the mask, but she knew the ditz they interacted with the first year wasn't it. Now that Ami had the courage to drop the act, Nanako was glad that the person under the mask was someone that she could like.

Maybe that's why it was so easy for her to accept the new Ami and it was so difficult for Maya. Maya… There was no sign of Maya in the room. No sign of Noto either. They were together somewhere else. Somewhere without her. _Maybe Maya is moving on with her life too. No. I mustn't think of it like that. They may have been here earlier or… maybe Maya isn't allowed out of her room yet._ She tried not to jump to any conclusions, but Maya's absence saddened Nanako.

 _Wait a minute._ Nanako thought, _What are Ami and Ryuuji doing here? Aren’t they supposed to be in Okinawa? Is this just a dream?_

There was someone else here though that she wondered about. A girl was sitting in a chair next to her bed. She had fallen asleep with her head in Nanako's lap, and was holding Nanako's left hand even in sleep. Long black hair covered her face, but Nanako could see that even in this position, the girl was tall and very pretty. There was only one person that she could think of that would look like this, but Nanako couldn't imagine why Ami's friend would be in her hospital room. With her other hand, Nanako gently ran her fingers through Hisako's long black tresses and moved the hair out of the way. As she uncovered the pretty girl's face, she knew it was who she suspected, but was still confused as to why. As her fingers made the last pass through the long black hair, Nanako saw purple eyes looking back at her.

“Kurosawa-san?” Nanako asked softly.

“Kashii-san,” Hisako said without moving her head but with a smile, “it is good to see you awake. Your friends are going to be so very happy.”

“Huh?” Nanako was confused. _If this isn’t a dream, then why am I in the hospital?_ Mustering her courage, Nanako asked, “How long have I been asleep?”

“Today is Monday, August the twenty-fourth.” Hisako told her bluntly. She watched Nanako figuring out the dates in her head and come to the realization that she had no memories of anything that happened in the last two weeks.

“WHAT!” Nanako's cry woke up Ami and Ryuuji and got the attention of a few of the floor nurses as well.

.

**Wednesday morning, August 26 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Ami and Yuri were sitting next to each other at the kitchen table across from Hisako while Ryuuji was getting breakfast ready and Yasuko was setting the table. Hisako's long black hair was cascading around her face as her head was bent to concentrate on what she was working on.

“What are you doing?” Ami asked after watching Hisako for a while.

“I'm writing a letter to Suzume.” Hisako replied without looking up.

“Writing a letter?” Yuri was surprised, “I thought it was all about texting and emails now?”

“Letters are more meaningful.” Hisako said, “Phone calls, texts, and emails can be nice or annoying – depending on what kind of person you are. But nothing beats a letter when you want to let someone know that you care about them.”

“Yeah...” Yuri suddenly felt guilty of something she hadn't done. “Um… Hisako-chan, do you have any spare stationary?”

“Happy belated birthday.” Hisako said as she handed Yuri an unwrapped box of stationary that she had been hiding under the table. Looking through the clear plastic lid, Yuri saw that the stationary had a school theme with images of pencils, erasers, protractors, rulers, desks and apples along the border.

“Oh Hisako!” Yuri looked at all the pretty stationary with their matching envelopes, “This is very thoughtful. Thank you so much!”

“You're welcome,” Hisako blushed at the gratitude and turning back to her own letter, she said, “Now get busy with a letter to Major Charming and let him know that you still spend a good chunk of your day looking at the ring on your finger.”

“Hisako!” Ami was about to scold the older girl, but it was true that Yuri could often be seen staring at the ring on her finger with a big goofy grin on her face. Instead, she smiled and handed something over to the black haired girl. “I have a gift for you too.”

Hisako accepted what looked to be a study ring, like the ring with the flip cards crammed with notes that all the students getting ready for exams would carry with them. This ring only had a few note cards already attached. She read the first one: _Tact: 1. a sense of what is fitting and considerate; discretion - 2. skill in_ _dealing with_ _delicate situations; diplomacy._ Going to the next note card, it said 'discretion' and had it's definition as well. The last card was for diplomacy.

“Very funny.” Hisako grumbled.

“Yet appropriate,” Ami smiled, “considering the state that you put poor Nanako in, when she woke up.”

“Yeah,” Ryuuji agreed as he set down the platter with the omelets and sausages in the middle of the table, “that was pretty scary.” Ryuuji was about to mention that the nurses had to sedate Nanako, and her agitated state could delay her getting out of the hospital.

“I'm sorry!” Hisako threw up her hands, “How many times do I have to say it? I really didn't mean to scare her like that.”

“Hey guys, be nice!” Yasuko wrapped her arms around the pouting black haired girl, “Hisako-chan cares about Nanako-chan too, you know.”

The frustration was about to make poor Hisako scream. Her fists were balled in anguish over the memory of what had happened back at the hospital. Nanako had been mortified. Apparently, she hadn’t remembered anything since she had left the SDF shelter to fetch the cell phones from the vacation cottage back in the Izu islands. The problem was, Hisako really did like Nanako. She had been impressed with the purple haired girl ever since meeting her at Ami’s coming-home party. Hisako knew that she had always had a thing for cute little girls and, ever since the previous Sunday’s Funny Hat Party, she had been unable to get Nanako out of her mind. The last thing she wanted to do was to scare or hurt her. Hisako had always preferred to hear the unambiguous truth and disdained all the coddling and sweet talk that went with delivering the bad news. With that in mind, she had given Nanako the news the same way she would have wanted it delivered to her. She would never make that mistake again.

Nanako had been terrified. Her fear, inconsolable. The medical staff had rushed all her visitors away and said that she could not be seen until she could calm down. Hisako knew what they really meant. Hisako had upset their patient and they were afraid she would do it again. She was about to suggest that maybe she should leave the Kawashima house when Ryuuji got a text message from Noto.

“They’re almost here.” Ryuuji announced.

.

Maya helped Nanako out of the taxi while Noto paid the driver. Since Maya had access to Nanako’s apartment, Ami and Ryuuji had long ago collected several suitcases worth of Nanako’s things for a long stay at Ami's house. Even before the issue with the H1N1 flu, they had planned on their purple haired friend staying with them for at least three weeks while she recovered from the snake bites. The result was that there was only one small bag to carry in. The doctors had warned that, with the complication of the influenza, the recovery time before it would be safe for her to be on her own could be longer. Had Nanako been awake at the time the doctors delivered that news, she might have been concerned at the smiles that their warning had given Yasuko and Ami.

“Just a minute.” Noto stopped Maya and Nanako from heading through the gate just yet, “There is something Nanako needs to know.” Turning to Nanako, he asked her, “The black haired girl with the purple eyes. The one that scared you when you woke up. Do you know who that was?”

“Yes,” Nanako answered, “that was Ami’s friend Kurosawa Hisako.”

“This may be hard for you to understand because you have been asleep all this time,” Noto told her, “but she has been there to visit you every day that it was allowed. She thinks that you are very special and she feels like dirt since she scared you yesterday.”

“Huh?” Nanako was genuinely surprised. Other than last night at the hospital, she could only remember meeting Kurosawa-san once before.

“Before you woke up and she ended up scaring you, she is the one that volunteered to sleep in the same room with you and take care of you during your convalescence.” Noto told Nanako, “Maya wanted to be the one, but that is my fault. My family is taking the opportunity of the summer vacation to make lots of demands on our time. Remember what I said about unpleasant family commitments during all the vacations?”

“Yes,” Nanako laughed weakly.

“Hisako wants desperately to be your friend.” Noto returned to the serious topic, “But, if she is making you uncomfortable, just let me know – or let Ryuuji know, and we will have the rooms swapped around or…”

“Or what?” Nanako asked.

“Ryuuji is afraid she is already planning to leave the Kawashima house.” Noto told both Nanako and Maya.

“No!” Maya gasped.

Nanako could see the sadness in both Noto and Maya. It looked like Hisako had made a favorable impression on both of them. Also, she was Ami’s friend and even Ryuuji liked her. All of that would be enough for Nanako to accept Hisako, but what Noto told her had truly swayed her. A lot of people thought Nanako was nice, but special? Not many people had ever said that about her. There was no way she could let this girl leave until she found out why she was special.

“I know what to do.” Nanako said and turned toward the house.

.

The door opened and Nanako was welcomed into the house. Nanako smiled at everyone and thanked them for their hospitality. All the while she watched the nervous and uncomfortable Hisako trying to stay in the background. Nanako could tell that Noto’s impressions were correct. She could see the guilt and embarrassment on the taller girls face. _She’s so pretty. She has Ami for a friend, and she thinks that I’m special? I can’t let her hurt like this any more._

“Excuse me,” Nanako interrupted the conversation that was going on around her, “I’m feeling a little tired. Can I lie down on the couch?”

“It might be a little loud in here,” Ami suggested, “would you like to lie down in your bedroom?”

“That might be best.” Nanako turned to Hisako, “I’ll be sharing the room with you, right?”

“Yes!” Hisako yelped at being unexpectedly addressed directly.

“Will you show me to the room then?” Nanako smiled.

“Yes…” Hisako was about to suggest that one of her more familiar friends might be a better choice but Nanako took her hand,

“Thank you, Hisako-chan.” Nanako smiled and squeezed the hand she held.

An hour later, when Ami went to check on Hisako and Nanako, she saw Nanako asleep with her head in Hisako’s lap. Hisako had also fallen asleep. Ami guessed that Hisako probably hadn’t slept well the night before. They both looked peaceful and happy now. Ami quietly closed the door and let the two rest.

“How are they doing?” Ryuuji asked when Ami got back to the living room.

“They are both asleep.” Ami told everyone, then chuckled.

“What?” Maya asked. She wasn’t the only one that wanted to know what had made Ami laugh.

“From the looks of things in that room,” Ami told them her impression, “it looks like Nanako is managing Hisako’s convalescence, instead of the other way around.”


	20. Maya's Challenge

**Friday** **evening** **, August** **28** **– Noto's cousin's house**

* * *

Hisamitsu Noriko stood in the middle of her room looking at her reflection in the full length mirror on her closet door. She was dressed in one of her Noto outfits and pretended to be looking at her beloved cousin. She wanted the real Noto here with her. She would settle for the illusion of his presence… or so she thought. No matter how hard she tried, it never looked right. Her collection of 'Noto' clothes didn’t fit right any more. Over the last several years, she had grown in places where he had not. When she let her hair down and put on feminine clothes, there was no doubt that she was a girl now. She didn't mind being a girl – that wasn't the problem… it's just that the days were over when she and Noto could pass for each other. The days were over when…

Noriko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She tried to banish those thoughts and go back to pretending. Opening her eyes, she could imagine seeing Noto standing before her again. The reflection in the mirror looked almost like Noto. If the clothes hadn’t been so tight across the chest and hips… No, she could ignore that. She knew what the real problem was. It wasn’t the clothes being tight in the wrong places. It wasn’t the body shape that was increasingly wrong for a boy. It was the tears. Noriko looked at the face in the mirror and tried on several of her favorite Noto expression. His studious look, his surprised look, his happy look… but with tears streaming down her face - they all looked wrong.

“Noto,” she said aloud to the reflection, “why? Why couldn’t you have chosen me?” She rubbed the tears away from her face with the sleeve of the shirt she was wearing and her eyes passed over the open picture album on her bed. Turning to look at the picture on the open page, she couldn’t help but smile at the memory and cry at the loss. The picture was of the two of them from one of the summer-time family vacations. They were smiling, holding hands, and wearing matching outfits. They were almost indistinguishable from each other back then. Noriko remembered that vacation well; she and Noto had been able to ditch their other relatives and had gone exploring together. They had walked trails through woods, climbed rock walls, jumped across streams, and climbed trees together. Noriko had worked up the courage to confess her love for her cousin and he had replied that he loved her too. The glorious feeling she had at the end of that vacation was so wonderful, she didn’t think there was anything that would ever make her sad. For her, it was the last summer vacation of her middle school years.

_Noriko, you used to be a good person. Someone I admired and respected. Someone I loved._

“Liar!” Noriko spat. “You never loved me the way I loved you.” The tears ran down her cheeks again as she remembered hearing the family members laughing when she told them that she and Noto loved each other. Noto didn’t seem to understand Noriko’s anger and the other relatives laughter, so he tried to explain, “She’s my cousin. Of course I love her.” Noriko had been crushed when she heard his innocent explanation.

“You loved me as a family member, but I loved you so much more.” Noriko cried, “How could you not see that? How?”

_I don't know what happened to you. Maybe it was that elitist high school you went to…_

“I didn’t want to go there!” Noriko screamed. She had wanted to go to the same high school as Noto. For years she had dreamed of the two of them being the perfect couple in high school. But, her parents had insisted that she get the best education. They had arranged for her to attend a very nice school that was also quite some distance away. The place was pastoral and magnificent. The electives included equestrian and archery activities. Every student learned to play a musical instrument and every student learned to speak three languages – other than Japanese. The course work was difficult, but not impossible for Noriko and soon she was one of the best in academics, and on the student council. All these activities came at a price though. School activities ate up vacation days and she wasn’t able to go to the family reunions like she used to. She missed her Noto but she wrote him letters and told him how good she was doing. She wanted him to know that she might be far away now, but she was doing the best she could so that she could get into college and then, they could finally be together.

The school her parents had sent her to took good people and made them better people. Being on the student council, she learned quickly that not everyone was the same. Some were simply better than others and you could get things done more efficiently if you worked with the better people. The best people were smart, talented, and from good families. Better families meant better connections and without connections, well… it didn’t matter how smart or talented you were if no-one listened to you.

_I don't know you any more._

“Yes you do!” Noriko screamed at the words from two weeks ago in that horrible hospital room with those horrible people. Again, she screamed at the angry image of Noto in the mirror, “You know me! I'm your Noriko. I have only wanted what's best for you. And that's me! I'm best for you. I always have been and I always will be!”

_Someone I loved._

“I still love you, Noto. But you never loved me the way I loved you.” she cried as she kept remembering Noto's words.

_Noriko, you used to be a good person._

“I am a good person.” she choked through her tears, “I'm the best person for you, Noto. Why can't you see that? Why won't anybody see that?” Clutching the picture album to her chest, she collapsed on her bed in tears. Nothing was going right for Noriko. Noto was in love with someone else. A week after the meeting in the hospital, she finally gave up on waiting for him to call and apologize. The following week, she tried to call him but he wasn't taking her calls. He didn't reply to her voice mails. His only reply to all of her text messages and emails was, “Noriko, please seek help.”

It had all come to a head tonight. Noriko knew that her mother was hosting a meeting of the women in the family and she decided that she would enlist their help. She had stormed into the room and demanded to be heard. There was a moment of shock when she noticed that her grandmother and aunts were there as well as her mother and many of her older cousins. Surprisingly, they all agreed to hear her out.

She explained to them the terrible mistake her beloved Noto was making and how this Maya girl was not good enough for him. She told them how hard she had worked to be the perfect person for Noto and that she needed their help to make him understand that. She begged. She implored. She demanded.

“That's enough.” the grandmother stopped Noriko’s ramblings, “You seem to be greatly concerned about Kihara Maya marrying into our family. I have not met the girl myself, but I have heard nothing bad from those that have met her. However, I appreciate your resolve to protect the family, so we shall look into this further.”

“Thank you Obāsama!” Noriko started to get her hopes up.

“But on this other matter.” the old woman looked into Noriko's eyes as she said, “you are forbidden to marry Hisamitsu Noto.”

“What?” Stunned, Noriko looked to her mother but she wouldn't meet her daughter’s eyes. Noto's mother was looking away as well. Looking around the table, Noriko noticed that all the mothers and aunts were looking away as well as some of the older cousins. Younger cousins seemed confused, but none would object to their Obāsan's edict.

“Do you understand me, Noriko?” the grandmother's steely voice cut through the bewildered girls confusion.

“Yes… but NO!” Noriko yelled through panic and tears, “Why? Why would you say that?”

“That's enough!” her own mother was standing now, but still not meeting Noriko's gaze, “Go to your room.”

“But Okasan…” Noriko pleaded.

“NOW!” the fury in her mother's voice shocked most of the people in the room, but it had the intended effect. Noriko rushed out of the room in tears. They knew the decision had been harsh, but it seemed that it had to be done. The younger cousins felt uncomfortable with what had happened, but it was apparently the decision of the older relatives to keep some sort of secret from them. Feeling the intensity of the mood in the room, none of them felt the need to question anything that had happened.

The wizened matriarch looked to her most trusted granddaughter. Hisamitsu Shinako did not know the big secret that the older relatives were trying to protect either, but she knew when her grandmother needed her - and Shinako usually knew what Obāsama needed as well. Yet again, she proved herself capable with but a glance from the family matriarch. Standing up, she clapped her hands twice. All of the younger cousins turned to her. The older relatives continued to look away.

“Come with me,” Shinako smiled as she caught the eyes of each of the younger relatives and began moving to the door, “let's go make plans to see what kind of a person Kashii-san really is.” In moments the younger cousins were gone and a heavy silence filled the room. Noriko's mother and grandmother were still standing.

“Perhaps we should discuss…” Noriko's mother started to suggest.

“We agreed that we would never speak of this.” the grandmother’s steely voice cut off all further thoughts of discussion. Silence filled the room once again. Finally all eyes turned to Noto's mother when she also got up from the table.

“Of course, I support Noto's choice of Kihara Maya.” she addressed the room, “He has always been a responsible and considerate child. As far as any other discussion goes… I will have no part of it.” Turning to the head of the table she added, “I am sorry for Noriko's sadness, but… it cannot be helped. We all knew this could happen from the start, did we not?”

Noriko's mother looked up at the last comment. She could not deny the sentiment. She could not ask to reopen the discussion either. After all, it had originally been by her insistence that this matter would never be discussed… never be revealed… no matter what the circumstance. Keeping her thoughts to herself, she worried about her daughter. At this point, any discussion was irrelevant anyway. Even if the family relented, Noto would never forgive Noriko for breaking up his relationship with the girl that he loved.

.

**Saturday morning, August 29 – Shrine Park**

* * *

The sun was barely up but there were familiar footsteps racing up the stairs and down the long winding path. Yasuko, Ami, and Ryuuji were running a little slower than usual today since they had Hisako, Noto, and Maya joining them. When they got to the top of the long steps that led to the shrine entrance, Noto and Maya had to stop to catch their breath and remember how to use their legs.

“You guys… go on… we’ll get back… eventually.” Noto panted as he sat on the stone walkway next to where Maya had already laid down.

“All right, we’ll see you back at the house.” Ryuuji said as their group started to run the long winding path that would take them back down the hill.

After they were no longer in sight, Maya turned to Noto and tried to talk. Her mouth opened but still, all she could do was gasp for air.

Noto saw her struggling and handed her a bottle of water that Ryuuji had left with him. After a few swallows of water, she was ready to try again.

“How do they do it?” Maya gasped, “I thought those stairs would never end!”

“According to Ryuuji, they’ve been doing this since late Spring.

“Hahahaha!” Maya suddenly started laughing.

“What?” Noto asked.

“Last year, Ami told me that she never exercised.” Maya grunted as she got up and prepared to start the long path back down the hill. Jokingly, she added, “Lying bitch. I knew I liked her better as an airhead.”

“Ha!” Noto reminded her, “She was pretending to be an airhead when she lied to you. I’ll bet the real Ami wouldn’t do that.”

“No, the real Ami taunts me that I can have a nicer body too. Then she makes me run up this godforsaken hill.” Maya complained.

“I bet she’s right though.” Noto imagined as he said, “You’re already pretty. If you do this exercise regimen with Yasuko and Ami, you are going to be such a knock-out in that wedding dress.”

Both Mayas blush and smile were hidden from Noto as she bent over to check her laces.

.

Running a little faster now, Ami and Ryuuji were in the lead with Yasuko and Hisako close behind. Initially, Ryuuji decided he would slow down to whatever pace Ami was comfortable with, but he quickly learned that he had underestimated how much his mother's help had made a difference in his girlfriend's health. He was struggling just a bit to keep up but he could handle it. Taking a quick look behind him, he could see that his mother was easily moving at this pace but Hisako was also having trouble. For a moment, he thought about slowing and running with Hisako so Ami and his mother could run as fast as they liked. That thought was abandoned when he saw the fierce determination in Hisako's eyes. _So be it. Thank you Hisako. I should stop looking for excuses and focus on my own determination._

“Do you think Maya and Noto are going to be okay?” Yasuko asked.

“They'll be fine.” Ami responded, “They were just a little winded like we all were when we started training with you, Onee-chan.”

“Hee hee!” Yasuko giggled at being called by her Onee-chan title. No matter how often Ami used the endearing term, Yasuko never tired of hearing it.

“That reminds me,” Ami asked Yasuko, “are you running behind us so you can look for weaknesses and start plotting our additional exercises?”

“Oh no!” Hisako gasped.

“Oh Ami-chan, how could you suggest such a thing?” Yasuko said unconvincingly, “I'm just enjoying running beside my dear sweet boy this morning.”

“Thought so.” Ami grunted with mock grimness.

“I've got to… escape from… this place… before… Onee-chan… kills me!” Hisako panted.

“Actually, Kurosawa-san,” Ryuuji decided to ask something that he had been thinking about for a while now, “do you think you can extend your stay with us through the end of September?”

“Huh, why?” Hisako's ingrained suspicion still kicked in, even though she felt that she could thoroughly trust these friends. _What does he want from me? How will he pressure me if I don’t give him what he wants? What is he really after? NO, this is Ryuuji-sama! He would never be like that to me. He would never be like that to anyone!_

“Yasuko is going to be busy managing Ami's health and Yuri-sensei's convalescence.” Ryuuji explained, “Since Nanako-chan has taken to you, I think you could be a real help with her recovery.”

“I guess so… if it’s okay with Ami-chan.” Hisako tried to sound natural but she was rejoicing inside. Sure, at a fundamental level he was asking her to stay because he needed something from her, but this was different! He needed her caring nature and her friendship, because they were friends… they really were her friends. Running behind her, Ryuuji couldn't see the tears of happiness on Hisako's cheeks and the restrained smile, but Ami saw it for a moment out of the corner of her eye.

Ami's smile was not restrained.

“Okay by me.” Ami said simply. _Bravo Ryuuji. That was done perfectly._ Ami thought about how far Ryuuji had come in his own recovery. He was able to see little Aiko-chan, a little girl that looked remarkably like Taiga, without any sign of a relapse. But more importantly, he was back to naturally helping the friends around him. Ami remembered when she used to think that was a weakness in his character. He was always so busy helping other people that he never seemed to get anything for himself. But that is simply who Ryuuji is. He was always at his best when he was around people that would accept him; it seemed that he would unconsciously discover and resolve peoples problems as naturally as he walked or breathed. Ami vowed never to criticize his ‘helping’ habit again. It was, after all, what made him so wonderful.

.

**Saturday evening, August 29 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Nanako woke up to a strange feeling. Someone was taking her clothes off. Opening her eyes, she looked up into Hisako's face. Hisako smiled and Nanako knew that whatever the reason was, it must be okay. Hisako had been there when she first woke up in the hospital. It was true that she had given Nanako a terrible fright with her bluntness, but Nanako knew she hadn’t done that intentionally or out or cruelty. Hisako may be blunt, but she had never lied to Nanako. She had, in fact, been with Nanako every waking moment since she had left the hospital. Nanako smiled back at the raven haired girl that had been taking care of her for the last several days.

“It's time for your bath.” Hisako said. She was holding Nanako up while little Aiko-chan's small hands unbuttoned and removed Nanako's few items of clothing. This was the first time that Aiko had helped with Nanako's bath and the young girl was excited and eager to help.

Nanako looked down to see who else was there and for a moment, thought that Taiga had returned. But the little girl had already taken her own clothes off and Nanako could tell from the more developed breasts that this was not the Palm Top Tiger. That thought made her laugh a little.

“I'm helping!” Aiko said brightly when she noticed that Nanako was looking at her.

“Yes you are.” Nanako smiled at the cheerful little girl. It was such a contrast to see someone that looked so much like Taiga, but was such an openly happy person.

“You hold her and I'll wash her!” Aiko said after she had removed the last of Nanako's clothing. She already had the sponge in her hand and was ready to start.

“Okay,” Hisako smiled, “but I get to wash her hair, and I get to wash yours too.”

“Huh, why are you gonna wash my hair?” Aiko pouted. She wanted everyone to think she was a big girl too, and big girls don’t need someone else to wash their hair after all.

“Aiko-chan, your hair is very long and it could be very pretty, but there is some damage.” Hisako told her, “I don't think you're washing it right.” Hisako could see the girl was hurt by her words, so she added, “Don’t be upset. Not everyone knows that long hair needs to be washed differently.”

“Oh?” Aiko-chan said sorrowfully as she looked at a handful of her own hair like she had never really seen it before.

“Don't worry,” Hisako said confidently, “I am going to show you how to take care of it so it is beautiful like Ami-chan's and mine.”

“And Nanako-chan’s?” Aiko-chan squealed.

“Nanako-chan’s too,” Hisako agreed, “she has had a rough time for the last several weeks and some of it shows in her hair. But don’t worry, we’ll have her hair looking beautiful again in no time at all!”

“Let’s learn from Hisako-senpai and do our best.” Nanako urged the little girl.

Hisako knew that Nanako was only trying to reinforce what she was saying, but calling her ‘senpai’ just then… Hisako felt her heart beat a little faster when she heard the cute purple haired girl call her that.

Aiko-chan was thrilled with all the attention she was getting from these older girls. This was so different from school where it seemed that all the kids were constantly picking on her and calling her names. For a long time her mother had told her that she was a pretty girl and that she wasn't a freak or weird. But it had been hard to believe her mother, when all her classmates had insisted otherwise. Things were different since she met Hisako, and Ryuuji, and Ami. Now, surrounded by so many beautiful girls, and being told that she was pretty, and that she was like them… it was the best feeling ever! She had been thinking about something ever since she had seen the portfolio with pictures of Ami, Hisako, and Suzume, when she was in the hospital. Soon, she would work up the courage to ask Mr. Manager to make her a model too.

Hisako thought it might be difficult, to wash Aiko-chan's hair while still holding onto Nanako, but she got unexpected help from the purple haired teen. Nanako had been sitting in Hisako's lap the whole time that Aiko-chan had been bathing her. Summoning all her strength, Nanako moved to another stool and reached out to Aiko-chan. The little girl took her hand and was pulled into a weak embrace. She found herself standing between Nanako’s legs with the teen’s arms wrapped around her for support.

“Hold onto me like this Aiko-chan.” Nanako rested her head on the smaller girl's shoulder, “Now Hisako-senpai can shampoo both of us at the same time.”

 _Th-Thump._ Hisako sighed and took a deep breath this time. She wondered if Nanako had any idea of the effect she was having every time she said that.

Aiko-chan giggled as the purple haired teen held her close. She could feel the weak hold that Nanako had on her, so she wrapped her arms around the seated teen and held on too. Both Nanako and Aiko luxuriated in the attention Hisako showed them. The hot water rinse to start, conditioning the ends of their long hair, the thorough shampooing at the scalp and neck, a final conditioning from the middle to the ends of the hair… it all felt marvelous. The only part neither of them liked was the cold water rinse at the end, but Hisako promised it would make their hair healthier and shinier. All the while, the profusion of purple hair and orange-gold hair blended beautifully, while Hisako worked her magic and the two girls held onto each other.

“Now, it's time for the bath!” Hisako said after finishing with their hair. As soon as Hisako had her hands on Nanako, Aiko quickly stepped into the hot bath. The young girl sighed as she felt the wonderful warm water envelope her. After the cold water rinse at the end of Hisako’s hair lesson, the hot water in the bath felt particularly good. Looking up, Aiko saw Hisako pick up Nanako into her arms in a princess carry. Nanako had turned toward Hisako's chest and let her long hair hide her face so neither Aiko nor Hisako could see the fierce blush she was now wearing.

“Wow, Hisako-senpai…” Aiko exclaimed as she watched Hisako lowering the purple haired teen into the bath water, “you're so strong!”

“It helps that Nanako-chan is very light.” Hisako admitted. The compliment did nothing to diminish Nanako's blush. “Here Aiko-chan, hold her like this.” Hisako floated Nanako into Aiko's arms and showed her how to keep a hold on her, “Make sure she doesn't slip under the water until I finish washing up – then I can take her back.”

“I don't mind.” Aiko held onto the buoyant girl and pulled her in close for a hug, “I like to help!”

“Are you sure you're only in grade school?” Nanako asked as she felt the spirited hug and the surprisingly developed chest pushing into her back.

Aiko’s only response was her laughter as she took Nanako’s question as a complement.

When Hisako had finished her washing up, Aiko-chan was ready to get out of the bath. Hisako quickly slid into the water and took Nanako into her own arms. She watched with fascination as the young girl quickly bounded out of the bath, dried off, donned a robe, and left the bathroom.

“Are you okay? You’re not too warm are you?” Hisako asked.

“I’m fine.” Nanako smiled, “Thank you for taking care of me, Hisako… senpai.”

 _Th-Thump._ Hisako couldn’t keep a soft moan from escaping her lips when she heard Nanako call her _senpai_.

“You like that… when I call you senpai.” Nanako asked, “Don’t you?”

“Yes.” Hisako struggled to keep her emotions in check. The last thing she wanted to do was make Nanako feel uncomfortable, or cause a rift in the friends and friendships that had been so willing to accept her.

“So, you’re not just taking care of me because Ryuuji and Ami asked you to?” Nanako bit her lip a little. This could all go terribly wrong if she was wrong about Hisako.

“No.” Hisako wished that Nanako would stop asking questions. She didn’t want to scare her or ruin anything, but it was simply not in Hisako’s nature to be evasive or vague.

“Would you tell me… “ Nanako started to ask the question that could end up changing many things. For good or bad, there would be changes. Nanako was afraid of the many ways that things could go badly, but she felt an overwhelming need to know. Whatever the cost, something inside her wanted to know the truth.

“Please!” Hisako held the teen tightly and buried her face in Nanako’s neck, “Please don’t ask! I don’t want to ruin anything.”

Nanako was about to insist when she felt the shudders through Hisako’s body that betrayed her sobbing. Hisako was older and taller. She was stronger and more beautiful. She was a professional model and more confident. She was all of those things… and she was crying. She was afraid.

“I’ve never had friends like this before.” Hisako said softly, “I’ve never had anybody that cared about me before… even my own family wasn’t like this. I don’t want to ruin this…”

Nanako’s eyes were open wide as she realized the depth of Hisako's feelings, and how close they were to her own. Hisako didn’t want to lose the people that she cared about, and Nanako didn’t want to lose Maya. It’s true that Hisako had made these friends only recently while Nanako feared losing a friendship that had spanned years. But both of them feared the desperate loneliness that would follow such a loss. Nanako put her hands on Hisako's and squeezed them gently.

“Oh Nanako, I’m so scared.” Hisako cried.

“Me too.” Nanako admitted. She didn’t need to say any more now. The desire to get to the truth was gone. Suddenly, it wasn’t so important anymore.

.

**Sunday morning, August 30 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Ami's house seemed to be the natural place to meet up. Noto and Maya had already planned on visiting to see Nanako and Yuri-sensei. When Noto's cousin, Shinako called to ask about a visit, he had initially panicked. Knowing just who Shinako was, he instantly knew the meeting would be more than a casual visit. Trying to keep the panic out of his voice, he suggested meeting at Ami's house. His plan was simple: he and Maya would spend some time visiting their friends, then they would leave with Shinako, when she arrived. They could walk down to the Sudoh Bucks for conversation and a drink. He knew his plans would drastically change when he got a text message a few moments later from his mother telling him to _be careful_.

Noto could put two and two together. He knew that Shinako was Obāsama's go-to person for errands and troubleshooting whenever the family had 'problems' that needed to be taken care of. His mother's message let him know that something was amiss and Shinkao's visit would definitely be more than a simple visit. After what had happened with Noriko a few weeks back, he had an idea what to expect. Noto didn't want to burden Maya with any more than what she was already worried about and kept his worries to himself.

They had only been at Ami's house less than thirty minutes when Noto was ambushed. It had started pleasantly enough though. Nanako was looking well even if she was leaning against Hisako on the couch.

“Are you okay, Nanako-chan?” Noto asked as he sat down with Maya on another couch.

“I get tired easily, but every day is better.” Nanako smiled and spoke slowly as if trying not to let her speech slur.

“It looks like you've become pretty good friends with Hisako-san.” Maya commented after seeing how her best friend was comfortably leaning on the raven haired model.

“One tends not to have many barriers with the person that bathes you.” Hisako laughed.

“What?” Maya gasped.

“Yeah,” Nanako admitted, “I need help with that. I get tired so easily.”

“It's normal.” Noto told his fiancé, “she will get her strength back in time but it may take a while.”

“How long?” Maya asked.

“It's hard to tell since she went through both the snake bites and the flu… it could be a month.”

“A month!” Maya objected.

“I don't want to mish school.” Nanako said desperately.

“As light as you are, Nanako-chan,” Hisako held the smaller purple haired girl's hand, “I'll get you there if I have to carry you.”

In the midst of the laughter and Nanako's thanks, Maya's face burned a little at seeing this new girl holding her Nanako's hand so intimately.

“So, Noto-kun…” Ami had a more serious look on her face as she asked, “are you going to keep it all bottled up inside or are you going to spit it out so your friends don’t have to worry about what is making you so miserable?”

“Eh?” Maya was confused. Noto hadn't said anything to make her think anything was amiss and she still wasn't used to Ami being this observant.

“It's not your fault for not noticing.” Hisako said to Maya, “Every time you look his way he wears this goofy grin like everything is okay. But the rest of us can see something is wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong.” Noto tried to pass off a relaxed smile, “You guys…”

“Don't.” Ryuuji said as he put a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Don't what?” Noto looked back at Ryuuji with a 'help me' expression.

Ryuuji just looked back at him. He couldn't say anything because he actually didn't know what was wrong. Standing behind Noto, he hadn't seen the expressions that Hisako and Ami had noticed. But, he did know that whatever it was – it was enough to worry both Ami and Hisako. Noto continued to look to Ryuuji for a reprieve until he heard Nanako's feeble voice calling to him.

“Noto-kun, do you remember when I told Maya to tell you the truth?” Nanako spoke slowly and carefully, “When you were talking about belonging to a big family… do you remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.” Noto turned and looked at Nanako. Hisako was holding onto her more now. It was evident that she needed help just talking and sitting up now.

“You should do the shame.” Nanako's eyes were starting to close on their own, “If your gonna marry my bess friend, you need to tell her the shrooth.”

Maya didn't know where to look. Obviously, there was something Noto needed to come clean about, but her eyes were glued to Hisako as she laid Nanako down on the couch and cradled the now sleeping girls head in her lap. She wanted to jump up and demand that Nanako lay down in her own lap, but she also wanted to demand that Noto tell her what this is all about. She turned to Noto with a startled look in her eyes from having seen her best friend getting so comfortable with this… this… other person!

“Maya, I apologize.” Noto said when he misread the meaning of her expression. Thinking it was meant for him, he decided to confess everything, “I shouldn't have kept anything from you but it seemed like you had so many other things to have to worry about. I just… “

“It's okay,” Maya put a finger to his lips and took a breath, “just tell me what's going on.”

“My cousin, Shinako, will be coming here soon.” Noto told them, “I believe she coming to see if you are suitable to be my bride.”

“What?” several people said.

“She isn't like Noriko.” Noto tried to calm everyone down, “But she does represent Obāsama in family matters.”

“What if she doesn't think I am good enough?” Maya worried.

“Then I'll leave my family behind and marry you anyway.” Noto said with conviction.

“I don't want you to do that!” Maya started to tear up. _Why now? Why does all this have to happen now? Can't it all wait at least until Nanako is better and…_

Ding Dong! The front doorbell rang in the midst of Maya's thoughts.

“I'll get the door.” Ami said with trepidation.

The rest of the room waited in silence as they heard Ami walking down the hall to the front door. They could hear the door open and then…

“Aaaaaaah!” Ami screamed as she jumped into the arms of the girl at the door.

“Ami-chan,” an accented voice was heard booming down the hallway, “it's so good to see you again!”

“Ami-chan! Ami-chan! Ami-chan!” another voice was screeching.

The shouting had wakened Nanako and she was again sitting up, if bleary. Looking around, she was wondering what was going on.

“Hey,” Ryuuji was smiling and up on his feet in moments, “I know those voices!”

“So do I!” Hisako gasped with excitement.

Maya could see the raven haired model's obvious excitement and moved to take Hisako's place next to her dear Nanako so she could get up.

“Thanks!” Hisako said to Maya as she stood. “I'll be right back, Nanako-chan!” she said to Nanako as she eagerly strode for the hallway.

“Take your time!” Maya said as she held her dearest friend closely.

Looking up, Nanako, Maya, and Noto saw a collision of giants at the hallway entrance. A red headed girl as tall as Ryuuji crashed into him and Yasuko only moments before an even taller girl with platinum blond hair and wearing blue camouflage cloths crashed into Hisako and Yuri.

Maya and Noto recognized them now too and felt the excitement of the moment with their friends but Nanako was still having a hard time remembering much of anything since she went to fetch the cell phones on Izu Island, so she just smiled, closed her eyes and leaned into Maya with a smile on her lips.

The exuberance of the greeting was too much for Yuri's balance, even with the cane she was now using and she started to fall. Noto watched and was impressed with the speed that the tall blond reacted.

“Oh no you don't!” Deena swooped the falling teacher up in her arms, “The Major would have my hide if I let anything happen to you before he gets here.”

“What?” Yuri gasped, “The Major is coming here… now?”

“That's right,” a puzzled look crossed Deena's face as she put Yuri down in a chair, “Actually, he shoulda got here before me. I was sent to pick up this youngun.”

“What's going on?” Ryuuji asked. If Deena was still in uniform and had been sent to pick up Suzume, this could be some kind of official visit.

“Oi, it looks like everyone we wanted to talk to is here, so I guess I can start off.” Deena moved over to the couches and shook hands with the three she hadn't already hugged. “In case you don't remember me from the hospital, I'm Corporal Deena Walker of the Royal Australian Air Force.”

“I thought you were called Leading AircraftWoman?” Ami asked.

“I got promoted!” Deena made a big smile, “The Major asked the powers-that-be back home to give me a promotion cause 'Corporal' is a helluvalot easier to say.”

“Please, call me Deena-chan like this lot does.” she said to Noto and Maya. Nanako was already asleep again. “Now let me go around the room and make sure I remember everyone before I get started.”

“Just a minute!” the red head shouted, “don’t forget about me!”

“Of course not darlin,” Deena laughed, “This red headed beauty is none other than the greatest middle-school model in the country… Minami Suzume!”

“Deena-chan!” Suzume blushed. Then she told everyone, “Please call me Suzume-chan.”

“Yuri-chan!” Deena was back on track to naming people after everyone had a chance to welcome Suzume-chan. She looked at the happy teacher and said, “You are the reason we all got to know each other. If it hadn't been for the silly Major breaking your leg and then falling in love with you...”

Yuri blushed while the others got a chance to laugh at the unbelievable chain of events that happened over this most eventful summer.

“Onee-chan.” Deena smiled at the cheerful Yasuko. Then she noticed for the first time that there was someone hiding behind Yasuko. “Onee-chan, that’s an interesting shadow you’ve got there.”

“Eeep!” Aiko-chan squeaked when she realized that she had been noticed.

“This is Aiko-chan…” Yasuko put her arm around the scared little girl but she insisted on staying behind Yasuko, “she might be a little shy.”

“Suzume-chan!” Deena called out.

“Yes?” the tall red head answered.

“Go talk to her.” Deena ordered.

“Huh, why me?” Suzume asked.

“She looks like she is in middle school and you are in middle school, so obviously it should be you.” Deena explained.

“But…” Suzume looked around Deena at the girl peeking out from behind Yasuko, “what should I say?”

“She seems to be scared of me,” Deena decided, “so tell her that I’m not scary.”

“But you are scary.” Suzume countered.

“What?” Deena sounded stricken, “How can you say that?”

“Well,” Suzume explained, “you’re big. You’re wearing a military uniform. You’re loud. That can be scary, right?” Several people were now laughing at Suzume's unabashed comments to the tall blond.

“Well then… tell her that I’m nice.” Deena asked.

“But you’re not nice either.” Suzume objected.

“What?” Deena gasped again.

“You already picked on poor Yuri-sensei for being all in love with the Major. You made her blush so hard she might even have a headache now. All because she knows everyone is now thinking about how she wants to be held in his big strong arms and how she wants to sneak off and make kisses and… other stuff with him, and…”

“HEY!” a furiously blushing Yuri shouted to stop that line of conjecture. She might have said more but the whole room was laughing hysterically. Even Aiko-chan was laughing now.

“Aiko-chan,” Suzume called to the little girl, “have you ever been to an amusement park?”

“Yes.” Aiko-chan answered timidly.

“Did you ride the roller coaster?” Suzume asked.

“Yes… the small one.” Aiko-chan admitted.

“Deena-chan is like the roller coaster.” Suzume explained, “She can be nice sometimes and she can be scary sometimes… but she is always fun.”

“Really?” little Aiko-chan’s eyes opened wide as she imagined someone as scary, yet fun like a roller coaster.

“Yup,” Suzume smiled, “after we finish greeting everyone else, lets talk about our schools and stuff, okay?”

“Yeah!” Aiko-chan was thrilled that a middle-school girl was interested in talking to her. The shyness was gone and she couldn’t wait to ask this girl all about her school and talk about her new friends.

“Mr. Manager, or Takasu-kun.” Deena once again continued the naming of people and nodded to Ryuuji.

“Deena-chan,” Ryuuji said, “it is really good to see you again.”

“Thank you Mr. Manager.” Deena moved on to the next guy in the room and said, “You are Noto-kun.” As her eyes moved over to the other couch she added, “and you're gonna get hitched to one of them on that couch over there.”

“That's right…” Noto was about to introduce the girls when he was startled by Deena dropping down onto the couch next to him.

“Don't tell me! Let me guess.” Deena said as she pulled Noto close. She put her head next to his and pointed across the table to the two girls on the other couch. “Gee, I dunno. This is harder than I thought. They're both really cute. The hard way to figure this out would be for me to try and guess whether you're the kinda guy that likes purple hair or dark orange hair.”

“What would be the easy way?” Ryuuji asked.

“Oh that's easy!” Deena laughed, “I'd say it's the girl with the dark orange hair that's glarin at me for sittin here all cozy with her boyfriend.”

“Eh?” Maya didn't realize she was glaring but she was uncomfortable with this tall blond girl that had her long arms wrapped around her fiancé. The glare turned into a blush when everyone laughed at Deena's joke.

“It's good to see you lookin better, Maya-chan.” Deena bounced up off the couch and reached out to shake Maya's hand, “And that means the sleepin angel there is Nanako-chan.”

“Very good Deena-chan!” Ami said. She tried to distract Deena from the fact that Yuri was trying to get to her bedroom. After all, if Major Locke was coming, sensei wanted to look her best.

“So anyways,” Deena finally got down to the reason for the sudden visit, “the Major got word that Nanako-chan got hit with H1N1. Is that right?”

Yuri stopped and turned around. It sounded like this might be serious after all.

“Yes,” Maya said, “she just got out of the hospital a few days ago.”

“Aiko-chan also just recovered from it.” Yasuko added.

“All right, so you all know what this H1N1 stuff is about, right?” Deena looked around the room and saw that everyone was familiar with the pandemic. “As you may know, this thing is big, and it's getting bigger. Just because Nanako-chan made it this time around, none of you should feel like you've dodged the bullet.”

“Yeah, we know.” Noto replied, “but there isn't anything we can do.” Noto recalled that the last warning he saw on the television. Even the government health ministry could only stick to the advice to 'be careful' in public places.

“We have a vaccine now.” Deena told them, “It's still in the experimental stage, but it looks like it works.”

“What?” Noto stood up amidst the other gasps in the room and asked, “is it safe?”

“It has not yet passed all the approvals in America, Japan, or any other country.” Deena admitted, “but I took it and, other than a mild fever the following day, I had no other side effects.”

“When will it be available for us?” Noto asked.

“Sooner than you think.” Deena gave them an apologetic smile, “The Major is on his way here with some of the experimental vaccines.”

“What does the Major want us to do?” Ryuuji asked.

“It's not really the Major…” Deena grimaced when she recalled the memory, “he doesn't like this one bit. He thinks he is being forced to ask you to be guinea pigs for a medical test trial. But someone had the grand idea that if he could get Japanese models to take the vaccine, then the public will embrace it when it becomes available. Otherwise, this flu could be around for a long time, and it could end up killin a lot of people.”

“What do you think, Noto?” Maya asked. Noto had researched all that could be found when Nanako was in quarantine. Everyone turned to him now.

“How many others have tried this vaccine?” Noto asked.

“About half the American military on Okinawa, so far.” Deena answered.

“So the Americans believe in this vaccine enough to use it on their own people?” Noto suggested.

“Heh,” Deena laughed, “Every country in the world has used their own military as lab rats at one time or another. The Americans are no different.”

“Still,” Noto considered it, “I think Ami-chan and Hisako-chan should take it.”

“Why just them?” Deena asked.

“You said it was for the models, right?” Noto was confused.

“Oh sorry,” Deena laughed, “the higher-ups just wanted the models to take it, but the Major said he wouldn't even consider asking you to do this if we didn’t also offer it to the friends and family.”

“And they agreed to his terms?” Ryuuji asked.

“Yup!” Deena said proudly.

“I’m in.” Noto said quickly.

“Noto,” Ryuuji asked his friend, “would you let Maya do this?”

“Yes.” Noto said without pause. He had already considered it and the risk of the vaccine far outweighed the dangers he had already seen first hand.

“We're all in.” Ryuuji said to Deena.

.

Outside the Kawashima residence, a tall blond man in an American military uniform stopped in front of the gate just as a young Japanese lady did.

“Either this Yankee is lost, or I am.” Shinako said to herself as she checked the map on her phone again. Seeing two large, dark blue, vehicles with U.S. military markings – parked on the street in front of the house, made her wonder if she had the right place. “This is the address Noto-kun told me to meet him.” Shinako said aloud.

“Noto-kun… by any chance, do you mean Hisamitsu Noto?” the Major asked in Japanese.

“Oh!” a shocked Shinako smiled, “Your Japanese is very good… and yes, Noto-kun is my cousin.”

“Then may I introduce myself as a friend of Noto-kun. I am Major Locke of the United States Air Force, and Noto-kun is as fine a young man as I have ever met.” The Major bowed with his introduction.

“I am Hisamitsu Shinako,” she bowed in turn, then asked, “may I ask how you know my cousin?”

“If Noto-kun is here and consents, I would be happy to regale you in the story of your cousins heroism – and how I came to play a small role in it, but perhaps we should get inside before the rain starts up.” The Major gestured up at the darkening sky. There were no raindrops as yet, but the air had the feeling that a torrent of rain could fall at any moment.

.

Ding Dong!

“This time, I get the door!” Yuri demanded. She was already up and walking as quickly as she could with her cane. Yasuko was right behind her just in case, but she knew how badly her friend wanted to greet her fiancé, the Major.

When she threw open the door, Yasuko and Yuri were surprised to see a young woman standing next to the tall Major.

“Ladies,” the Major decided to do the introductions since he knew everyone, “this is Noto-kun's cousin, Hisamitsu Shinako. Hisamitsu-san, may I introduce the stunning Koigakubo Yuri – Noto's sensei and my fiancé; and this lovely lady is Takasu Yasuko – Yuri's designated onee-chan and best friend.”

Before anyone had a chance to say anything, the Major moved forward, took Yuri into his arms and kissed her. Her weight was nothing to him as he held her in his arms. Her toes dangled several dozen centimeters from the floor while they kissed. Although embarrassed at first, Yuri was swept up in the Major's passion and soon felt like she would still be floating above the floor even if he were to let her go.

Yasuko watched her best friend losing herself in the passion of reunited lovers and smiled. She wanted to cheer her friend on and tell her to never let go, but she knew that they were in their own world for the moment. Looking across at the other person in the entryway, Yasuko looked Noto's cousin over. She had heard that the other cousin looked a great deal like Noto himself, but this one didn't seem to. She had dark brown hair and dark eyes and was not at all tall. From Noto's worry, Yasuko had been expecting someone with a more intimidating appearance but this was the kind of person that you would miss unless you knew who to look for.

“Hisamitsu-san,” Yasuko called out to the girl, “they might be a while. If you would come with me – Noto-kun is inside.”

“Oh,” Shinako was startled out of her passive reverie. Looking away from the two lovers and seeing Yasuko again, she said, “Thank you. Takasu-san, isn't it?”

“Yes,” Yasuko took the young woman by the arm and led her down the hall. “There is another Takasu here today, so it might be better if you call me Takasu-chan for now.”

“O… okay.” Shinako was briefly surprised when they emerged from the hallway into the living room full of people. She had only been expecting her cousin, this Maya girl, and a sick friend they were visiting. Quickly scanning the room, she found her cousin seated on a couch with a blond girl. The hair color didn't match what she had been told to expect of Kihara Maya, but no matter. She was about to summon them to leave with her when the Major's voice filled the room from behind her.

“Corporal Walker, have you already briefed them?” The Major sounded very official but still held Yuri's hand as he spoke to the tall blond girl in uniform.

“Yes sir,” Deena replied but amended, “well, everyone except the one you brought with you.”

“I see,” the Major asked, “and what is the decision?”

“All in… sir.” Noto said as he stood up. Everyone had looked to him before the decision in the room was made so he felt the answer should be his responsibility.

Shinako was shocked and concerned at Noto's answer. What had he gotten himself involved in?

“Do you speak for Shinako-san as well?” the Major asked.

Shinako was about to demand to know what was going on and assert herself when Noto answered.

“No sir,” Noto told the Major, “Shinako-san is senior to me. She represents the Hisamitsu family.”

“I see.” the Major handed the case he had been carrying over to Deena and said, “Corporal, if you will start administering the inoculations, I will brief Hisamitsu-san.”

Shinako was about to object. She already had plans with her cousin and Kihara Maya and they needed to be on their way. Her thoughts were interrupted by a window rattling explosion of thunder. Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to the windows where they could see a hard rain was now coming down. Taking a breath, she allowed her plans to be changed. She would listen to what this Major had to say.

.

“Noto-kun,” Shinako called out after hearing everything that the Major had to say, “I forbid you to take part in this.”

There were some gasps when everyone heard Noto's older cousin. The room became quiet and Maya moved to stand next to Noto.

“Why is that, Shinako-san?” Noto asked calmly.

“The vaccine is not adequately tested. The risk is to high.” Shinako said firmly.

“Shinako-san,” Noto thought about choosing his words carefully, but decided to take a chance after all, “do you know who is going to lead the Hisamitsu family in ten years?”

Shinako suddenly stood stiffly. It was easy to see that she didn't want to have this conversation, but she answered anyway, “It will be you, Noto-kun.”

“Yes.” Noto looked into his elder cousin's eyes and pointedly asked, “Do you know why it will be me and not you?”

“Yes,” a bit of anger tinted Shinako's cheek as she answered, “the family does not feel that a girl can...”

“No!” Noto cut her off. Pulling Maya behind him, he walked over to his fuming cousin. “Our own analysis says that our businesses and holdings will fail within twenty years unless we change. That change will require risks. The family has already determined that I am best suited to evaluate new opportunities and weigh them against the risks.”

“But…” Shinako wanted to remind him that he was still in High School and getting him safely to the day when he could take over the family's leadership was still her responsibility. The words froze when she noticed that he was showing her the small circular bandage on his left arm.

“Forbidding me at this point will do no good,” Noto said calmly, “as you can see, I have already been inoculated.”

“What!” Shinako was incensed that Noto would do something so reckless without first consulting her.

“Now I must insist that you take the vaccination too.” Noto continued in his even voice.

Shinako's gaze darted up from looking at the small bandage to looking into her younger cousin's eyes.

“When the day comes that I take over the leadership of the Hisamitsu family, I will need you beside me.” Noto said as he placed his hands on his cousin's shoulders and told her, “Despite what the current family leadership thinks I am capable of, I don't believe I will be able to save the family without you. So, I cannot allow you to be taken from me by this Pandemic.”

Shinako felt as if everything was changing. This was not the little boy that she frequently had to go running after at family picnics to keep him out of trouble. She already knew he was smart from her regular review of his academics. Now her shoulders felt the strength in in his hands as he held her. Neither his gaze nor his voice faltered when he spoke to her. He was confident.

“The risk of losing you,” Noto squeezed her shoulders for emphasis, “is unacceptable.”

Shinako closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Noto-kun, when did you grow up? I should have been paying more attention to you, and not just your grades all this time._ She felt Noto's hands fall away from her shoulders as she straightened her stance and opened her eyes. _He knows I have come to a decision._ She decided to give him one last chance to back down and asked him, “You can put this much faith in something that has had so little testing and results that you have not seen and cannot verify?”

“Of course not.” Noto smiled, “I put my faith in the people that I know I can trust.”

“Well said, Noto-sama.” Shinako heard several gasps when she said his name with the reverent suffix, “I will do as you wish and… I look forward to working with you when your time comes to lead the family.”

“Thank you very much, Shinako-san.” Noto smiled as his cousin rolled up her sleeve and accepted the vaccine from Deena.

.

Ami's house had several guests that night and the following day as Tropical Storm Krovanh hit Japan. Fortunately, this storm was nowhere nearly as disastrous as Typhoon Etau had been. It dropped a lot of rain and that interfered with trains and planes. A few roads had high water conditions. But there was no reported loss of life and things were back to normal the next day.

.

**Wednesday morning, September 2 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

“Welcome back!” Yuri called out the the group as they returned from their early morning run with Onee-chan.

“You're kidding me,” the Major was still a little short of breath even after the long walk back to Ami's house, “you run that route every morning?”

“Ami and Ryuuji and I do.” Yasuko said brightly.

“Hey,” Yuri promised, “I'll be running with you again… as soon as my leg heals up.”

“Recently, Maya and Noto have been running with us.” Ami speculated, “Maybe Nanako-chan will start running with us when she gets better too.”

“So...” Yuri sounded sad but hopeful, “Are you heading back to Okinawa today?”

“What,” the Major sounded astonished that someone would suggest such a thing, “… and break my promise?”

“Promise?” Yuri repeated the word but was confused.

“Tomorrow is the Obon Festival.” now the Major sounded injured, “Did you forget about our date?”

“Ah!” Yuri hadn't forgotten the date, but with all that had happened recently, the time had flown by and she had forgotten that they were already upon the eve of the festival.

“We brought Yukatas!” Deena said with a smile.

“Oh my,” Yuri sounded panicked, “I think mine is back at my apartment.”

“No, I brought it when we got your things for your stay here.” Ryuuji said as he sipped a coffee.”

“Oh, I forgot about that.” Yuri started to head to the bedroom that she shared with Yasuko and Aiko-chan.

“You'll find it folded up in the back of your underwear drawer.” Ryuuji offered.

“My underwear drawer? Ryuuji!,” Yuri blanched, “Why do you know which drawer I keep my underwear in?”

“I do all the laundry here.” Ryuuji answered in a plain matter-of-fact way. “Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, no problem!” Yuri turned and hurried off to her room so they wouldn't see her face blushing.

“A woman can be sensitive about that sort of thing.” the Major said quietly as he moved to stand next to Ryuuji.

“A woman who has recently been exercising and is in better shape than she used to be, doesn't have a lot of underwear left that fits her.” Ryuuji pulled out a slip of paper with some numbers on it and held it within reach of the Major's free hand.

“Umm… I don't know if I should…” the Major looked at the folded piece of paper and wondered if he should reach for it.

“A boyfriend that buys nice, pretty things that fit…” Ryuuji taunted the Major just a little more.

“This never happened.” the Major said as he snatched the paper from Ryuuji's hand.

“What never happened?” Ryuuji sipped his coffee.

“Exactly.” the Major smiled.

The suggestion that he gave the Major made Ryuuji think. _When have I ever given Ami nice, pretty things?_

“Hey!” Ryuuji suddenly called out to everyone in the living room and kitchen, “Who wants to go shopping?”

“Groceries?” Yasuko asked.

“Clothes.” Ryuuji replied, “The second semester starts after this weekend and I know there's a few things I need.”

“Hey, good idea!”

“I'm in!”

“Yeah, let's go!”

Ryuuji and the Major both smiled at the cacophony of excited voices chiming in.

.

**Wednesday evening, September 2 – Kushieda residence**

* * *

Minori wanted to bounce into her house as energetically as ever, but she was exhausted and hurting all over. The softball tournament she had attended in the first half of the summer break had bled into a baseball training camp. The physical trainers there had been merciless, but her athleticism and baseball skills had definitely improved. Dropping her bags on the floor of her room, she looked longingly at her comfortable bed. Unfortunately, that would have to wait. She was still dirty and sweaty from the long trip back and desperately needed to get cleaned up first. She sighed and wondered if she could find the energy somewhere. Just then, she heard a little bling from her telephone. Pulling it out, she saw that she had a message from Amin.

 **Ami** – We are OK for tomorrow.

 **Minori** – Just OK?

 **Ami** – Good actually. Ryuuji is much better than I had expected.

 **Minori** – That's good to hear. When / where do we meet up?

 **Ami** \- Meet at my house before 4, or meet at the Shrine gates at 6. Wear a Yukata. Do NOT wear Royal Blue with a silver pattern.

 **Minori** – Does Takasu-kun have a problem with those colors?

 **Ami** – No.

 **Minori** \- ??????

 **Ami** – That's the pattern I'm wearing.

 **Minori** – LOL!

Minori almost dropped her phone when it suddenly started vibrating in her hand. Looking at the screen, she could see that she was getting a call from Ami now.

“Ami?” Minori answered the call.

“Yeah… listen, Minori. There's something I need to tell you. I was going to tell you in person but we might not have the privacy then and…” Ami sounded uncharacteristically nervous.

“What is it?” Minori was worried, “Is it Takasu-kun?”

“No… well, yes.” Ami sighed then said, “We are boyfriend and girlfriend now.”

“What?” Minori was relieved that it didn't turn out to be a problem with Takasu-kun's mental or emotional health, but this… this…

“I didn't plan this.” Ami said quietly, “But I didn't try to stop it either.”

“Sure you didn't plan this,” Minori's voice betrayed her true feelings, “you had a thing for him since the first time you met him!”

“No!” Ami's voice exploded out of Minori's phone, “not from the first time, but I admit it was not long after that. But I was a good girl! I played fair for Taiga! I gave her every chance and I stood back! I even tried to help her!”

Minori could hear the emotion in Ami's voice and wondered if she was remembering the same things. Ami and Taiga singing at the Christmas party, the fight at the ski lodge, Ami's living room when Ryuuji and Taiga planned to run away and elope.

“I gave that little bitch every chance in the world and what did she do? She hurt him Minori!” Ami's voice cracked and Minori knew the blue haired girl on the other end of this phone call was crying.

“But…” Minori tried to break in.

“She hurt him bad, Minori! And I'm not giving him back! I know she's your friend but she blew it” Ami screamed, “Do you hear me Minori? She blew it and there is no way in hell I'm giving him back to her!”

“What about me?” Minori demanded, “He liked me first, I should have a chance too!”

“No, you had your chance!” Ami's voice cracked with more tears as she screamed into her phone, “You all had your chances! Everybody had their chances but he picked me and I picked him. We are in love dammit and I am not letting go of that - not now, not ever!”

“But…”

“He's mine!” Ami's voice roared out of Minori's phone, “Do you hear me Minori? He's MINE!”

Minori smiled as she recalled a certain day at the pool when Taiga had made a similar claim. But there was more to Ami's claim. She wasn't pretending that Ryuuji was a dog or a servant, like Taiga had. Ami had proclaimed her love for Ryuuji in no uncertain terms.

“THAT'S THE SPIRIT!” Minori yelled back into the phone in her hand.

“What?” A surprised Ami gasped.

“Amin, if you love him,” Minori cheered her friend over the phone, “if you _really_ love him and he's not just some plaything you're going to get bored with… then I'm behind you a hundred and ten percent!”

“Really?” Ami's disbelief and relief were in her voice.

“Absolutely!” Minori said with confidence.

“But… what about Taiga?”

“Taiga...” Minori saddened for a moment and said, “Taiga probably lost her chance with Takasu-kun before you started helping him… probably before Yusaku hit him with the desk.”

“Yeah… maybe so.” Ami agreed.

“Is it really okay if I come over to your house before we go to the festival?” Minori asked.

“You should. You really should.” Ami said, “He’s doing so well now it’s like he was never… you know.”

“Wow!” Minori could hear the happiness in Ami’s voice and she wanted to believe so much, “Oh Ami, you really did work a miracle.”

“Honestly, it wasn’t just me,” Minori was a little surprised at the humility coming from the bluenette, “I had a lot of help. But when you see him, you’ll believe in miracles!” There was some noise in the background then Ami came back and said, “I have to go now. Come over for lunch if you want to. We can go to the festival from here.”

“Okay, I’ll do that. Bye bye!” Minori hung up the phone and took off all her clothes. _That’s just what I needed. Now I have the energy to get cleaned up and get to bed!_

.

**Wednesday evening, September 2 – Hisamitsu (Noto’s) residence**

* * *

Noto was finally home from another day spent visiting relatives with his fiancé. Maya had handled it better than either of them had expected. She had feared that she would be too shy to talk to any of them and he had feared that their pressure would awaken the fight part of her fight-or-flight instincts. The meetings had been easier than Noto had feared. His relatives seemed to be more interested in meeting the mysterious Maya than being predisposed to fear or hate her. He could only believe this was because of what Shinako had relayed back to the family.

Having left Maya at Ami’s house to stay the night with her beloved Nanako, Noto was alone in his house. As he changed to his slippers, he noticed an envelope on the small table in the entryway. Glancing at it, he saw it was addressed to him. After picking it up, he noticed the American stamps on the envelope a moment before he saw that it was from Kitamura Yusaku.

_He didn’t forget._

Noto smiled as he opened the envelope. There were several pages of a letter inside and a photograph. Looking at the picture, there were several people he didn’t recognize in it, but right in the middle of the group were Kitamura and Sumire Kano. They were holding hands and smiling.

_Good for you, Kitamura. Good for you._


	21. Obon Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although I believe it to be a floccinaucinihilipilification to utilize egregiously and unnecessarily obtuse verbiage, I cannot eschew obfuscation on this happenstance.

**Thursday morning , September 3 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

It was still dark outside when Ami awoke, still cuddled up to Ryuuji. At some point, rolling into him had become natural. Whether she did it intentionally or in her sleep, it seemed that she always woke up like this. Her head lay on his shoulder and chest, her hand was over his heart, one of her legs was thrown over one of his. His arm would be wrapped around her and his hand would be resting on her back, side, or hip. Although it had come to be like this most every morning, it wasn’t getting old for her. With a smile, she thought that this is exactly how she wanted to wake up every morning for the rest of her life.

Opening her eyes at the moment of a flash of lightning, Ami saw an explosion of orange-gold hair on Ryuuji’s other shoulder. With the lightning gone, Ami was still able to see the afterimage and she was sure she saw Ryuuji’s other arm around the diminutive body as well.

 _What?!?_ Ami cringed, _What is Taiga doing in here?_

BOOM! Rumble rumble rumble…

The sound of a sleepy whimper came from the other side of the bed in the midst of the recent thunder. Thunder? Ami relaxed when her mind was able to make sense of it all. Little Aiko-chan was terribly afraid of thunder. Even though she preferred to sleep in the same bed with Yasuko, the really big thunder-boomers would drive her up the stairs to cuddle up to Ryuuji. And, of course, little Aiko-chan looked just like Taiga… especially in the dark. In an instant, fear and anger became compassion and love for the little girl that had become such a darling around the house over the last several days. Reaching across Ryuuji’s chest, Ami found Aiko-chan’s fist clutching the sheet. Her little hand was shaking in terror. Ami covered the small hand with her own and instantly saw the glitter of open eyes in the darkness.

“Take my hand.” Ami said quietly.

“Um… okay.” Aiko-chan whimpered as she let go of the safety of the sheet covering Ryuuji and took the warm hand of the pretty blue haired model.

The little hand was still shaking when it slipped into Ami’s grasp. Ami wanted to say encouraging words. She wanted to be compassionate and make the little girl feel so loved and protected that the thunder would no longer be a concern. Running through old television and movie lines, and even things Ryuuji had said, she thought she might have the right thing when she realized it was unnecessary. Aiko-chan’s hand wasn’t shaking any more, her breathing was slow and deep, and her eyes were closed. The little girl had finally found peaceful sleep, but she was still holding onto Ami’s hand.

 _I guess it’s not always what you say. Sometimes, what really counts is just being there._ Ami smiled and closed her own eyes too.

.

The gray light of cloud filtered sunshine now filled the master bedroom of the Kawashima residence. Ryuuji opened his eyes and saw Ami and Aiko-chan holding hands across his chest. He vaguely remembered Aiko-chan crawling into the bed and hiding under the covers next to him during the worst of the nights thunderstorm. It was a good feeling to know that he could be a child's safe-haven from whatever was terrifying. It was especially good for Ryuuji since it was so often that he was the thing that was terrifying to other people. For whatever reason, this little girl had never found him to be scary, so letting her hide under his arm was something he would never deny her. But seeing Aiko-chan and Ami holding hands in their sleep brought up other emotions. Feelings he never really considered.

 _Is this what it would be like if Ami and I had a family?_ _I mean…_ _if Ami and I had children of our own… WHAT AM I THINKING? We would need to be married and she would never…_ _She would never marry a guy like me. Would she?_ Ryuuji wondered for a few moments about his relationship. _Sure, she said she loves me for now, but marriage is foreve_ _r._ _She has her future to think about_ _._ Feeling the question out, he had to ask himself if he would consider marrying Ami. His head started to hurt with the internal struggle. Although his mind could come up with many reasons why it would be a bad idea, his heart was beating on his intellect with a baka-club. _I am so far out of her league… someone that is at her level would be a better match for her in the long run. An actor or some successful person in the entertainment industry is what a person like Ami deserves. I would only slow her down. Wouldn't I?_ The heart refused to listen and insisted all such arguments were irrelevant. _It's love, stupid! All that other stuff is meaningless._

With Ami's head on his shoulder and her arm reaching across his chest to hold little Aiko-chan's hand, he knew he wanted to side with his heart. It was a fantastic feeling to be part of something so trusting, so loving, and so wonderful. Precious few people in his life had ever accepted him like this. A sudden light made him blink and he was only a little surprised to feel tears running down his cheeks.

Outside, the the sky was starting to clear up and rays of bright sunshine were now streaming down through broken clouds. A brilliant light shone through the windows and the concertina doors that opened onto the veranda. The reflected light filled the bedroom with a warm glow that also reflected in Ryuuji's heart.

.

**Thursday morning , September 3 – Kushieda residence**

* * *

Minori was humming as she looked at the three Yukatas in front of her. All of them fit and none of them were blue and silver. She had a half-hearted chuckle as she thought of the recent phone call with Ami. The memory gave her a bittersweet smile. Truly, it was more sweet than bitter now. She knew that Ryuuji was a hell of a guy and she had liked him since before Taiga had even known who he was. Memories came flooding back to her.

Minori had barely been able to contain herself when he had remembered her name on the first day of their second year. Like Ami, she was not quite the ditz that she appeared to be and she knew exactly what it meant when Ryuuji stammered and blushed when she talked to him.

She remembered the chances that she had lost to straighten him out and let him know how she really felt. No, that wasn't right either… the chances weren't lost so much as they were thrown away. The most memorable instances were at Ami's beach house, then at the school Christmas party, and again at the Ski Lodge, she had been afforded every opportunity to let her true feelings be known to Ryuuji. But she hadn't. Each time she had stepped aside for Taiga.

_Dammit Taiga…_

No, even that was a poor excuse. Kitamura had been right; she had already decided long ago to forsake romantic involvement for her dream. Minori had known what lay ahead of her before she had even started high school. To be the best in softball and play at the international level, or perhaps even in the Olympics… she knew that she would have to make certain sacrifices. She would need to practice as much as possible and she would need to earn money so she could go to the right schools, the optional training camps, and get the best trainers. Romance would just take too much time away from her dream. Or so she had thought. Looking back at how much Ryuuji did for Taiga and how he was staying by Ami's side, she wondered if she might have been wrong. She imagined him with her at the batting cages, coming with her and cheering her on at practices and games, being in the stands for her… being at the games for her… being there for her…

_Oh God, what have I done?_

Minori was on her knees wiping the tears from her eyes for only a few moments before her determination kicked in. Standing up, she turned to the full length mirror on the back of her closet door and looked at the red swollen eyes in the reflection.

“It was my decision and mine alone!” She said to her sad but resolute reflection.

“I followed through with my decision and I will NOT second guess myself now!” Even if the eyes were still red and puffy, the fire was back in them now and Minori knew she would be able to make it through this day.

“Obon Festival is today, Minori's gonna play! Yay, yay, yay!” Minori's bright smile was back and she cheered herself into a happier look before going back to choosing which Yukata to wear.

.

**Thursday morning , September 3 – His a mitsu (Noto’s) residence**

* * *

“Noto-sama,” Shinako's clear voice called out, “I'm glad I came early.”

“Good morning, Shinako-san.” Noto had just closed the gate in front of his house and was heading for the train station. He had an overnight bag with him and it was clear that he was going to be out for a while. Politely, he asked, “Shall we go inside?”

“We can talk while we walk.” Shinako smiled as she took her younger but taller cousin's arm, “You are… heading for the train station. Are you on your way to the Kawashima house?”

“Yes,” Noto always worried when he talked to Shinako but she seemed to be warmer to him now. Warmer to him than she had ever been before. He wondered about her change in attitude but perhaps it was not so much a change as a reveal. A three year difference in age was huge to kids, but Noto was becoming an adult now and suddenly a cousin that was only three years older was not so alien. “We are all going to the Obon Festival together. You are invited to come with us if you like.”

“I already have similar plans, but thank you for asking.” Shinako deftly declined his invitation. She knew this would be an outing of his friends from school and that she would be an outsider there. Due to the confrontational way that she had met them the other day, Shinako knew that she would probably be distrusted and unwanted by most of them. That was unfortunate; they all seemed like good people. “By the way, do you know Yamada Yukiko?”

“No,” Noto's brow wrinkled, “but that name seems familiar.”

“The Yamada family is in the hotel and restaurant business. Our family has some ties with theirs.” Shinako told him, “She may be the heir apparent.”

A sudden chill ran through Noto. Was Shinako about to suggest an arranged marriage to bring the two families together?

“I got a surprising phone call from her last night.” Shinako continued, “It seems that she is good friends with Kawashima Ami and Takasu Yasuko.”

“Oh yes,” Noto now remembered the name from the outlandish stories that he had heard about what Ryuuji, Ami, his school teacher, and Ryuuji's mom had been doing in Tokyo and Okinawa, “I heard her name from Ryuuji and Ami.”

“She said that she never met Maya-chan, but I should trust Ryuuji-kun's counsel.”

“Really?” Noto was surprised. _I guess the stories weren't so outlandish after all._

“She was actually more emphatic than that.” Shinako laughed, “Ryuuji-kun must have made quite an impression on her. She actually said that I would be a fool not to trust him and…”

“And? And… what?” Noto prompted.

“She made me promise to let her know if Ami and Ryuuji split up.” Shinako winked at her cousin, “I believe she has a _thing_ for your scary looking friend.”

“Wow.” Noto was only briefly stunned. He knew from first hand experience just how amazing Ryuuji could be. _Jeez Ryuuji, what the hell did you do in Tokyo? I may need to hear those stories again._

“This doesn't surprise you?” Shinako teased.

“A little,” Noto admitted, “but Ryuuji is a pretty amazing guy. You know… his class position is actually higher than mine.”

“What?” Shinako was surprised now. Ryuuji looked scary and seemed confident. By the way the little girl clung to him when the thunderstorm started, she knew he was someone that made people feel safe. But she had never considered that he was smart, or a good student. “What University is he going to?”

“Unless his plans changed, I don't think he's going to college.” Noto said sadly.

“What?” Shinako's surprise was evident in her voice. _What a terrible waste!_

“His family is not wealthy and he is worried about the financial burden it would put on his mother.” Noto related the story that Ryuuji had told him at the end of last year.

“Have you decided what University you will be attending?” Shinako asked.

“Maya and I will be going to the same University but… we are no longer considering Hokkaido.” Noto said stiffly.

“Under the circumstances, I understand.” Shinako's reply actually sounded reassuring.

“Speaking of Maya,” Noto asked, “have you come to a decision?”

“Although I had a few reservations, I had decided to support you before I left the Kawashima house the other day.” Shinako chuckled, “But after the phone call from Yamada-san, I no longer have any reservations. I will support you.”

“Then,” Noto breathed a sigh of relief, “it's over.”

“I'm glad you have such high opinions of my abilities, but it is not over yet.” Shinako warned her younger cousin, “Although she trusts me and will hold my opinion in high regard, Obasan's decision is her own to make. Do not forget that there are other voices in the family that agree that you should be weighing the political options when choosing a bride.”

“I see,” Noto was still hopeful but not quite as positive as he had been just a few moments ago. “Still, Thank you Shinako-san. Thank you for believing in me.”

“Well, we are here.” Shinako said as they arrived at the entrance to the train station, “Have fun with your friends and enjoy the festival.”

“Thank you, Shinako-san.” Noto bowed to his elder cousin, “Thank you for your efforts.”

.

**Thursday noon , September 3 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Nanako was seated at the kitchen counter on a tall chair so she could assist Ryuuji in making a big lunch for everyone. Hisako had tried to get her to relax, but she was bored with so much relaxing. Although she didn't have the stamina to stand for a long period of time, Nanako was able to work on things that Ryuuji put in front of her, once the tall chair had been found.

At first, Ryuuji was concerned about her being in the kitchen. There are a lot of dangerous things in a kitchen for someone that doesn’t have their usual physical or mental abilities. Nanako was still weakened and the medicines that she was taking during her recovery sometimes left her feeling dizzy or at least, hard to think clearly. She seemed to be handling herself well though and soon, Ryuuji had forgotten his misgivings and was glad to have her help. After all, there would be a lot of people over for lunch today. Since it was already looking like a hot day, Ryuuji was taking the opportunity to show Nanako how to prepare the Rei Shabu dish that he had learned how to make in Tokyo.

“Like this Takasu-kun?” Nanako asked about the thinly sliced cucumber she had just finished.

“Perfect, Nanako-chan!” Without thinking, Ryuuji's fingers combed through Nanako's long purple hair as he petted her head.

Nanako was surprised at this sudden intimacy, but she didn't object. Any response was frozen on her lips as she felt fire and ice all at once. An excited chill ran down her spine at the same time her face burned with blush.

“Ah!” Ryuuji cried out when he realized what he was doing. His hand retracted from Nanako's head as if he had just put it on a hot stove element. “I'm sorry, Nanako-chan! I've been around Aiko-chan so much this morning and she… um…”

“It's okay, Takasu-kun.” Nanako focused on her sliced cucumber, “I didn't hate it…”

“If you're going to let him pet you, maybe you should start calling him Ryuuji-kun?” Hisako teased.

Nanako couldn't look up, but Ryuuji saw Hisako and Ami smirking from the other side of the counter as they watched Nanako and Ryuuji blush.

“Since he is showing her how to cook something, maybe she could call him senpai?” Ami suggested.

“Eep!” Nanako squeaked as her blush darkened and her lower lip started to tremble. _Surely I didn't just tell Takasu-kun that it was okay_ _to pet me…_ _in front of Ami-_ _chan_ _!_

“Hey, stop being mean to Nanako!” Maya rushed to her friend's side and pulled the head of purple hair into her chest. She looked defiantly back at Hisako more-so than Ami.

Hisako was thinking of a playful response when they all heard the sound of the doorbell. “I'll get it!”

After Hisako raced off to the front door, Ami leaned across the counter and told Maya, “You know Hisako was just teasing. She would never do anything to hurt Nanako.”

“I know… It's just…” Maya found it hard to put her discomfort into words. She felt like Hisako was trying to steal her friend away. With the demands of Noto's family commitments always taking up so much of Maya’s time, and Hisako here to take care of her friend all day and even at night… Maya had never felt more torn about her desire to love Noto and keep Nanako's friendship. Those were the thoughts storming in her confused brain when she looked up to see a happy Hisako arm in arm with a blushing Noto – walking into the room. “What the…”

“Hey!” Hisako sounded cheerful, “Look who I found at the front door!”

“YOU!” Maya shouted angrily at Hisako, “Do you hate me? Is that it?” Maya moved toward Hisako and raised a hand to slap as she yelled, “Why do you always…”

Ryuuji was about to caution Maya that slapping Hisako was a really bad idea. He knew from personal experience that the raven haired girl was a lot stronger than she looked. The words didn't come out before Hisako reacted. She caught Maya's wrist and spun the red head around.

Maya had a surprised and slightly scared look on her face as she ended up sitting in Hisako's lap with her arms pinned to her sides by a tight hug. For several minutes, Hisako simply held onto Maya. After a few fruitless struggles to try to free herself from Hisako's hold, she realized that she was nowhere near strong enough to break the tall models grapple.

Noto was halted from interfering by a firm, but gentle grip on his shoulder. When he turned to see who it was, the tall Australian blond compassionately returned his glance, but quietly shook her head. If he had thought Maya was in trouble, he would have tried to act anyway, but he knew that his girlfriend was in no danger. In fact, he greatly suspected that they were all trying to help.

“Ami is my friend too.” Hisako's voice said softly from only a few centimeters from Mayas ear, “In fact, she was my friend before she was yours.”

“Um…” Maya was confused and wanted to be released. This wasn't about Ami; this was about Nanako… and Noto. She wanted to run away from this embarrassment.

“For now, just be quiet and listen.” Hisako told her. In a voice recalling fond memories, she said, “When we first met, I thought you and Nanako were so cute. I really had to restrain myself from just running up and hugging both of you.” The sweetness in her voice became darker as she continued, “But then you hurt Ami and I was furious. I would have pounded your face into the dirt if I had caught up with you then, and Deena-chan… she would have helped me. You hurt Ami pretty bad and it really pissed me off.”

“Oh…” Maya could tell from the strength of the arms holding her that Hisako had not made an empty threat. She knew she should be scared of this girl, but Maya's eyes were wet as Hisako forced her to remember how she had recently ignored Ami. She had behaved badly and she knew it. Ami said she had forgiven her, but…

“You have a very childish problem with accepting people. You are way to jealous and selfish for someone your age and it is going to wreck your relationships. If you really want to be happy, you’re going to need to figure out what is making you act so childishly, and you’ll need to get over it.” Hisako continued, “It's obvious that you can't accept me. you think that I am trying to hurt you when I only ever wanted to help… and to be your friend.”

“Huh?” Maya gaped. _You want to be my friend? That can't be right!_

“Nanako is your friend. Well, guess what… she is my friend too.” Hisako looked over at Nanako. Yasuko was standing behind her now and offering support as Nanako looked back at Maya with sad, but hopeful eyes. “Are you so selfish that you won't let Nanako have any friends but you? And jealousy… are you the kind of person that gets angry to the point of violence if you see someone else with your boyfriend?”

“No.” Maya answered, although she knew she had been behaving exactly that way. She could see the disappointment in her friends eyes. “I mean… I don't want to be like that… any more.”

“That's good, because it is a weakness,” Hisako told the captive red head, “There are too many people like Noriko in this world and if they find out about a weakness like that… they will use it against you. When they do, you will lose everything you hold dear.”

“Ah!” Maya remembered Noto's look-alike cousin Noriko, that had tried to get Noto to break up his relationship with her. It was an unpleasant memory for Maya but it was also a painful memory for Noto. He still had many fond childhood memories with the cousin he had thought he could count on. The cousin that didn’t think Maya was good enough for him. “What can I do?” Maya asked meekly.

“No-one can change overnight.” Hisako relaxed her grip on the red head in her arms and smiled. Maya may be childish, but she was smart enough to know that she needed to change, and for that she needed help. “You can do this in small steps. For your first step, let me be Nanako's friend.”

“I can't stop you from being her friend.” Maya pouted.

“That's not what I mean.” Hisako was petting Maya's head now as she explained, “For now, just accept it. In time, try to embrace it.”

 _I don't know if I could ever embrace it._ Maya hated herself as soon as the thought came to her mind. _Am I this petty. Am I really so childish. I don't want to be like this – I want to be better. Noto deserves better! If I can't be better, I won't be good enough for him… I won't deserve to marry him!_ _Is Noriko right about me?_ Tears started to fall from Maya's eyes. _Somebody help me!_

“You can do this.” Hisako's voice was filled with compassion now, “You are surrounded by your friends now.” Hisako gestured around the room. Then she took Maya’s face and made her look into her own eyes as she said, “Even me. I want to be your friend if you will let me. And you know what friends do?”

Maya said nothing but she turned and looked up into Hisako's purple eyes. _Purple eyes… like Nanako's._ Even though she was still upset, Maya felt a comfort in those purple eyes and sensed a kindness there too.

“Friends help.” Hisako said simply. She smiled and hugged the tear stained red head. This time, it was not so tight a hug and this time… Maya hugged back.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for being such an idiot.” Maya felt Hisako's arms around her, and hands gently caressing her head and back. It was so relaxing, comforting and reassuring… Maya knew instantly that when she had children and they were in despair, this is how she would comfort them.

Hisako looked up to see Ami smiling back. _Thank you Ami. You may never know how much this means to me. You gave me a second chance. You allowed me to be friends with your friends. I'll never let you down again._

Nanako mouthed a _thank you_ from across the room. Even Noto seemed pleased.

Ryuuji and Nanako were just getting back to their cooking when the doorbell rang again.

“I'll get it this time.” Ami called out. Dashing from the den and down the short flight of stairs to the foyer, she saw an indistinct figure with pink hair through the rain glass. Ami had a moment of trepidation as she paused with her hand on the door knob. There was only one person this could be. Despite Ryuuji's progress and his ability to be around Aiko-chan, Ami still felt a chill of concern. _I know what she said, but will she really support me? That pink haired girl_ _i_ _s one of two people that could destroy everything with just a few well chosen words._ For a moment, Ami considered sending Minori away. _She'll see him at school in a few days anyway… I might as well get this over with._ Ami took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Amin!” Minori cried out in her usual spirited manner when the door opened. She saw a look on Ami's face that she didn't expect. Could it be concern? Disappointment? Disgust? “Oh, am I too early?”

“No, you're fine!” Ami gathered herself and looked at Minori again. She was carrying something that looked like an overnight bag and wearing a typical jock-girl outfit. Shorts and a t-shirt with some team name and a number on it. Her hair looked like a pink explosion… as if she had just run some water over it and shook it out like a dog. With mounting hope Ami said, “Please tell me you have a Yukata in the bag.”

“Three!” Minori said cheerfully. Then nervously she said, “Eh heh heh. I couldn't make up my mind which one to wear. I was hoping you could help me decide.”

“Oh really?” Now Ami was smiling. “As it happens, you have come to the right place.”

.

Ami realized she hadn’t given any warning to Minori only when she was escorting her pink haired friend into the room and noticed Aiko-chan siting in Yasuko's lap in the den. _At least she isn't sitting in Ryuuji's lap, that would really make the muscle-head flip out._ “Let me introduce you to…”

“OH MY GOD, WHEN DID TAIGA GET BACK? Why didn't you tell me, Amin?” Minori didn't know whether to be excited that her best friend was back, or angry with everyone for keeping Taiga's return a secret from her. She hadn't yet resolved that conflict when she realized something was wrong. Taiga was scared and clutching at Yasuko's sleeve. _Taiga is scared… of me?_

“That's not Taiga,” Ami said calmly, “I know she looks like Taiga, but she is a grade schooler. Her name is Aiko-chan and she is staying with us until her parents get out of the hospital.”

“Huh?” Minori didn't want to believe Ami. She wanted to believe that Taiga was back, but seeing the scared expression on the otherwise familiar looking face made her see the truth. As the fog of excitement and confusion cleared, she could see other little differences between this person and her Taiga. In a calmer voice she faced the little girl that she had just frightened, “I'm sorry! I'm sorry I scared you. I thought you were someone else but… I guess you've heard that a lot around these guys. It's just that… Taiga was my best friend and I haven't heard from her in… so long…” Minori was fighting hard to keep the tears from coming.

Ami could see Minori struggling and put a hand on distraught jock’s shoulder.

“It's okay.” Aiko-chan could see the pink haired teen was sad and it had only been her shouting that had scared her anyway, “I do hear that from a lot of Ami-senpai's friends.” She offered, “Maybe it would be easier if I let everyone call me Taiga?”

“No!” a chorus of voices objected.

“Sweety,” Yasuko cuddled the slightly stunned girl, “you may look like Taiga but you are a wonderful person too. You don't need to pretend to be anyone else.”

“Thank you, onee-chan!” Aiko-chan relaxed into the warm embrace.

“Hee hee!” A thrilled Yasuko giggled and hugged her charge a little tighter, having been called _onee-chan_ again.

“Hey,” Noto said quietly to the Australian giantess while the others were chatting with Minori, “Why did you say ‘no’ ? You never even met Aisaka.”

“I heard about her little stunt and how it hurt Ryuuji-sama.” Deena explained quietly to Noto, “Regardless of whether it was from narcissism or cruelty, her actions were inexcusable.”

“Narcissism?” Noto wondered what kind of stories she had heard. “She did leave a letter explaining…”

“The letter is why I suspect narcissism.” Denna countered, “It didn’t show that she was thinking about Ryuuji-sama’s feelings so much as it showed how much she cared about what Ryuuji-sama thought of her.”

“Hmmm.” Noto considered her argument and what he remembered of the letter. He had to admit that she had a valid point but something else was bothering him. “Why did you start calling him Ryuuji-sama?”

“I heard Hisako call him that and I thought about it.” Deena explained, “He organized Ami’s modeling career comeback and salvaged Hisako's career from the gutter. You were there for his rescue and relief work. All around him, friendships are established or saved – and they’re always strengthened. He does all this without really trying. It is so natural to him, he would blush if you pointed it out. He is a natural leader and he doesn’t know it yet. How could you _not_ call him Ryuuji-sama?”

“True…” Noto thought the Australian might not completely understand the Japanese cultural use of _sama_ and said, “but, for an older person to use _sama_ when addressing a younger person…”

“… is unusual, but shows great respect.” Deena smiled as she finished the sentence. Then the smile dropped and she whispered, “If you are insinuating that he is not worthy of the respect, we will have to fight… Noto-san.”

“No no no no!” Noto took a step back and bowed, “I do not disagree… and I meant no disrespect! I just wanted to make sure you understood the cultural implication.”

“What’s going on?” several people asked.

“Noto!” Maya called out from where she was sitting next to Hisako, “What disrespectful thing did you say to Deena-chan?”

Noto looked at his fiancé, but it was the predator’s glare he was getting from Hisako that made him swallow hard. Suddenly, there was a strong arm around him pulling him in close to the tall blond.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing!” Deena laughed it off, “Noto-kun was just being funny.” From their expressions, Deena could see that nobody believed her but the most interesting expression was on the face of the new arrival. She was staring at Deena in disbelief. Nodding toward the pink haired girl, Deena said, “Ami-chan, I’m sorry for interrupting the introductions…”

“Oh, right…” Minori was then introduced to the members of the party that she had not yet met. She could see why Ami would be friends with other models, but Minori was curious why they were friends with military people… from other countries. It was also strange that their teacher was here, but she seemed to get along well with Ryuuji’s mom so maybe they were already friends?

“What’s in the bag?” Maya asked Minori after the introductions were over.

“I didn’t know which one to wear, so I brought three Yukatas.” Minori started to open the bag, “I was hoping you guys could help me pick.”

“Let’s do that after lunch.” Nanako suggested, “It’s ready now.”

“And after we do your hair.” Ami offered.

“My hair?” Minori was confused. She had shaken it out real good after her shower this morning. Her hand ran over the uneven spikes and clumps of her pink hair and she asked, “What’s wrong with my hair?”

All the models started laughing and the others chuckled a bit as well. They weren’t trying to be mean. As bad as her hair looked, they had assumed she was joking.

Minori nervously laughed along with them. She glanced over at Ryuuji. He wasn’t laughing, but he wasn’t paying attention either. As expected, he was finishing up the lunch preparations and getting all the food to the table. _At least Ryuuji isn’t laughing at me._

.

“That lunch was delicious Takasu-kun!” Minori said as she walked with the colorfully dressed group toward the shrine park.

“It’s called Rei Shabu.” Ryuuji said, “It’s supposed to be a good dish on a hot day.”

“Ryuuji made that for us in Okinawa.” Suzume said.

“Okinawa?” Minori asked.

“We did a shoot down there.” Hisako told her, “That’s where we met Deena-chan and Major Charming.”

“Wow…” Minori’s thoughts were interrupted when she saw the rest of the party emerging from the garage entrance to the house. She had thought it strange that some of them left through the front door and went around to the garage to wait for the others. Now she understood, but that understanding brought new questions.

A surprised Minori saw her teacher in a wheelchair, being pushed by the Major. Yasuko was with them and it was clear to see that they had all become good friends. She was getting over the initial shock and about to ask why her sensei was in a wheelchair when a second wheelchair came out. Nanako was riding in the second wheelchair that Noto was pushing. Maya was practically glued to Noto’s side as they walked down the driveway to join up with the rest of the party.

“Why are Nanako-chan and sensei in wheelchairs?” Minori suddenly realized that she hadn’t noticed Nanako moving with her usual energy and sensei had moved around the house with very careful movements.

“Nanako is getting over snake bite and illness, so she gets tired very easily. Yuri-sensei’s leg was broken while we were in Okinawa.” Ami realized that Minori hadn’t heard anything about their adventures all this time. She had been safely sequestered away at her training camp this whole time. Looking back, it was hard for Ami to believe that all this had happened just since the beginning of their summer break.

“How did sensei break her leg?” Minori was stunned. She wondered what else all of her friends had been up to over the summer. She knew that she had come back from a wonderful time at her camp and hoped that her friends hadn’t been bored too much while she was gone.

“Horseback riding.” Suzume answered.

“Horseback riding?” Minori was stunned again, “Yuri-sensei was riding a horse?”

Minori walked along in amazement as Suzume recounted the story of their photo shoot on the little island, riding the horses, and watching as a helicopter left with the unconscious Yuri-sensei, the Major, and a concerned onee-chan. Minori had heard several people call Ryuuji’s mother by that title and wondered what the story was with that. But she would ask about that later… if she remembered.

Hearing Suzume’s recounting of their time on Iejiima made the rest of the group remember all they had done since school had let out.

Minami Umeko remembered meeting the manager, the blue haired model, and the bubbly bouncy blond on the train station platform. She recounted her fear and surprise when the scary manager seized the distraught woman that turned out to be his high school teacher. She had remained out of sight, but she had watched their little group on her train car and it had been that short trip to Tokyo that her fear of the scary man had turned into admiration for the person she still though of as Mr. Manager.

Hisako too had been pulled in by Ryuuji-sama. It hadn’t been charm or flowery promises that had won her over. His determination, loyalty, and honesty were things that had been sorely lacking in the people she had been interacting with for quite some time. She remembered sitting across the table from him in the small café and listening to him. He had revealed the truth about Ami, told her of his plans, and encouraged her. It would have been so easy not to believe a word of it, but even then – she had the feeling that he was speaking from the heart. She had been horrified, confused, happy, anxious, and hopeful in the short span of that conversation. His face was scary and he looked evil as hell itself, but she hadn’t felt raw compassion like this from anyone in such a long time. Not long after that first conversation with him, she was reunited with Ami and just as Ryuuji-sama had said, Ami forgave her for everything. Ami had become more amazing and more wonderful than she had ever been. Gone was the airhead act and here was the Ami that Hisako had always liked… always idolized. Together, with Suzume, Ryuuji’s mother and their high school teacher, they had toured Tokyo, shopped, and did a magazine interview together. Hisako had cried tears of joy after they asked her to come with them to Ami’s house and then to Okinawa.

The Major recalled his first encounter when he saw his beloved Yuri for the first time. He saw her eyes for only a moment before she lost consciousness in his arms. In a short time he learned to trust Ryuuji-kun, admire the loyalty and friendship of Yasuko-chan, and fall in love with Yuri… his sleeping beauty. He was thankful to all the others as well. Ami, Hisako, Suzume, and even Corporal Walker were all supportive of his desire to build a relationship with Koigakubo Yuri. He remembered the recent flight from the Izu Islands when so many things had gone wrong for her students and friends. He would remember forever the tenderness she showed young Noto when his adrenaline had finally run out and courageous young man had collapsed before her with his head in her lap. Her face showed a compassionate smile while she held him there and ran her fingers through his unruly brown hair. Her actions spoke of a protectiveness and a love for her students that spoke volumes about her character. The Major had known from that instant that he was going to ask for her hand before that trip was over.

“So, um…” remembering the little adventure in the cave by Ami's family beach house from the previous year, Minori suggested, “anyone want to do a test of courage tonight?”

There was a momentary pause while everyone thought of the scary or dangerous things they had already faced during this summer break. Then, as one, everyone started laughing.

Minori looked around at everyone laughing and knew that there was something that the rest of them had all shared. Something had brought them all together and created bonds that would last for a long long time. Unfortunately, it was a _something_ that she did not share with them. Her heart was saddened that she wasn’t part of it, but it was yet another sacrifice that she had already accepted that she would have to make for her goal. The accepted sacrifices were why she made her decision not to cry, so many years ago. But it was hard not to be resentful or cry when she felt herself missing out on so much. _No, it’s_ _nobody's_ _fault but my own! The decision was mine, and mine alone. Nobody forced me to_ _choose this path_ _. In fact, they all tried to talk me out of it. So, there is no point in being resentful now._ She was still feeling down, but she put on the famous Minori smile and pretended to be happy with everyone else.

Ami was not amused. She had grown weary of the fake Minori persona and now that she had cast her own facade aside, she was sick of it. She decided to do something about it when they all got to the shrine entrance. She planned on suggesting that they all break up into small groups since it would be difficult to move so many people around in a crowd. However, it didn’t look like that would be a problem. She wasn’t the only one that was stunned when they got to the big red Torii at the entrance to the shrine park.

There were no crowds. Half of the shops that should be open were shuttered or missing completely. It looked as if they had arrived on the wrong day. It seemed like the only ones that weren’t surprised were the Major and Deena-chan.

“I was afraid of this.” the Major said. “The Ministry of Health has been putting messages out for the last week to make people aware of the Pandemic crisis.”

“I’ve seen those warnings,” Umeko said, “but they only tell people to be cautious and…”

“Avoid going to crowded public places if it is unnecessary.” her taller, but younger sister Suzume, finished her sentence.

“Unnecessary…” Noto said as he looked around the almost empty place, “like going to a festival.” The idea that such a cornerstone of Japanese culture could be affected like this hadn’t occurred to him before. By the looks on everyone else's face, he imagined they were thinking the same thing. _I hope this experimental vaccine works._ No longer thinking about just his own survival, he wanted to see Japan get back to normal. This Pandemic scare was having effects that were far greater than just the people that were infected.

“Hey!” Yasuko’s bubbly cheery voice got everyone’s attention, “Let’s all have a good time, okay? We’ll just pretend that this is our own private festival and we’ll have a ball!”

“That’s a great idea!” Yuri joined in. Looking up at the Major who was pushing her wheelchair she said, “I want some cotton candy. Will you take me there?”

“Great idea!” the Major boomed, “Cotton candy for everyone!” Spirits were raised and there was even a little cheering as they group headed over to the row of little shops.

“We’ll be right with you guys,” Ami grabbed Minori by the obi, “I just need to help Minori with her Yukata.”

“Thanks Amin,” Minori said, “I’m not really used to wearing these things.”

“Drop the act, Minori.” Ami waited until everyone else was far enough away and spoke quietly, “I know something is bothering you and that fake smile is starting to piss me off.”

“I don’t think I can…” Minori started to say, but Ami was ready for her.

“Yes you can. Just be honest for once and tell me what’s bothering you.” Ami countered.

“Are you sure you want to know?” Minori's smile dropped and her brow wrinkled a bit with worry. She knew this wouldn’t be pleasant.

“Absolutely.” Ami looked into Minori’s eyes to show her how serious she was.

“It’s you.” Minori said, “You’re bothering me. One little summer vacation… you and Ryuuji run off and have some wild adventures and come back as boyfriend and girlfriend! You were already living in the same house even if you sleep in different rooms…”

“Same room.” Ami corrected.

“What?” a stunned Minori stopped her rant at hearing that.

“Same room, same bed.” Ami clarified for her pink haired friend.

“WHAT?” Minori looked as if the blood had drained from her face. “How could you…”

“All we’ve done so far is kiss… and cuddle.” Ami felt the need to be completely honest since she was demanding that of Minori.

“But… but… but…” Minori was on the verge of hyperventilating.

“I mean…” Ami looked into the completely stunned face but went on as if Minori was listening calmly, “I may have run my hands over his broad chest or his muscular thighs while he was sleeping once or twice. Still, I want to do more, but I don’t think Ryuuji is ready for that. At least, not yet.”

“MORE?” Minori’s shock continued with each of Ami’s revelations.

“I’ve had daydreams of the two of us married and… even having his children.” Ami blushed a little as she admitted this, “But I don’t know how Ryuuji would react to something like that.”

“Ch… ch… CHILDREN? Minori gasped.

“I don’t want to scare him off, you know.” Ami looked into Minori’s wide open eyes, “What do you think?”

“AMIIIIIIIIIII!” Minori shrieked.

“You did say you would be behind me a hundred and ten percent.” Ami evenly returned the stare at the glaring pink haired jock. “Were you serious, or was it just another lie, like the ditzy muscle-head persona that you wear?”

“Huh?” Minori knew she had been trapped. She had shown her true feelings and she had to admit that she didn’t really want Ami to win. “You saw right through me, huh?”

“Yep.” Ami answered simply.

“Look, I don’t know what’s best for Ryuuji, but part of me…” Minori mustered up the courage to say this to her rival, “… a big part of me wants to think that there might still be a place in Ryuuji’s heart… for me.”

“And if I told you that you may not like what you’re going to find out?” Ami asked.

“I still have to see for myself.” Minori said sullenly, “I guess you’d like me to leave now.”

“I do, but that wouldn’t solve anything.” Ami suddenly sounded bored with it all, “Drop the ditz persona and have fun. Relax and let Ryuuji see who you really are… and pay attention. You need to see who he really is too.”

“I can stay?” there was disbelief in Minori's question.

“Yes.” Ami answered simply.

“Why?” Minori asked, “Why are you letting me do this?”

“Because, you silly muscle-head,” Ami smirked, “I really do want you on my side.”

.

From the booth selling the cotton candy, Ryuuji could see Ami and Minori shake hands. They must have agreed on something. _I wonder what all of Minori’s yelling was about?_ They were heading this way now. Turning back towards the booth, he ordered two cotton candy’s – a pink one and a blue one. The girls were back only moments after he took possession of the two fluffy treats. Ami took his right arm and Minori took his left arm. Ryuuji was suddenly blushing from the close contact. Sure, he had been close with Ami in Tokyo and Okinawa, but this was the home turf; someone from the school might see and… and what? Soon enough there would be pictures in magazines of Ami with Ryuuji. It's not like she had been trying to keep this any kind of secret.

Laughing away his own nervousness, he handed the cotton candy cones to the girls and they walked toward the game booths.

.

Without any crowds around, they were able to do everything they wanted, and had plenty of time before the fireworks would start. With Ryuuji, Noto, Haruta, and the Major trying to impress their girlfriends at all the arcades, it wasn’t long before everyone had a stuffed animal to take home. There was a bit of laughter when Minori walked away with the biggest prize. The gigantic fluffy thing didn’t resemble any recognizable animal but it was bigger than Minori. Ryuuji had offered to carry it for her.

“No!” Amy insisted, “I can't take your arm or hold your hand if you're lugging that monster around.”

“I know!” Minori realized she also wouldn’t be able to have Ryuuji's arm or hand this way, “I'll give it back and ask for a smaller prize.”

“But Minori…” Ryuuji was going to argue that she had won the monster fairly.

“It's just too much Takasu-kun,” Minori admitted, “I really don't have room for it.” A melancholy fell over Minori as she saw the symmetry in this. “I'll just take it back. I'll trade it for something smaller.”

Ami and Ryuuji walked back to the booth with Minori. Her spirit seemed to improve as she looked at the other prizes and picked out a penguin.

“Are you sure you're okay with this decision?” Ami asked the smiling jock.

“Yes,” Minori said as she looked into the face of her penguin, “sometimes life is too busy for the big prize, so a smaller prize is just fine.”

“Knock it off!” Ami threatened, “You're still to young to be getting all philosophical.”

.

A part of the shrine park had a gently sloping hillside with a low rock wall running through it. It was one of the best places to view the fireworks and was usually packed. When they had been making their plans, they had thought that their group would be separated since they might not be able to find much room on the hillside, but that didn't turn out to be a problem. Although a few more people turned out to see the fireworks than had been at the festival, there still weren't many. Several picnic blankets had been brought along in the pockets of the wheelchairs. They were now on the grass, lined up against the rock wall. The wheelchairs stood empty nearby and everyone had found a comfortable place on the blankets.

“Can I have your attention?” Noto called out to the assembled group, “This won't take long and I'd like to finish it before the fireworks start.”

Everyone politely turned their attention to Noto. Most of them expected this to be some announcement about his upcoming marriage with Maya, but a few of them remembered the promise between friends.

“Some of you don't know Kitamura Yusaku. He is a childhood friend of Ami-chan's and had been Takasu-kun's best friend for several years.” Noto said, “He was able to graduate early and is already starting college in America… so he couldn't be here tonight. But, he sent this letter that he asked me to read. It is addressed to Takasu-kun, but it is for everyone to hear.” Noto looked around and saw nothing but encouragement from the group. Unfolding the letter from his pocket, he read:

* * *

Takasu,

Everything is going well for me in America. I caught up with Sumire not long after arriving and she has accepted my request to start dating. The picture that is enclosed is from an end of summer vacation party that we attended together. The first semester of my Freshman year started in mid August, and I have already been asked to lead several study groups. The work is challenging but I feel that I am ready for it. If you get a chance, please tell Koigakubo Yuri-sensei that she did a good job of preparing me for this. Her extra English sessions have truly helped me to be successful in all of my classes.

Now, I must apologize to you. I wish I could be there now to see you surrounded by your friends. And yes, I truly believe that when this letter gets to you, there will be many friends around you. I know it took a long time, but people have finally started see you for who you really are. You’re a good person, Takasu – you always have been and I believe you always will be. That is how the people around you, see you now.

Finally, let me say this for Haruta-kun’s benefit: Although I believe it to be a floccinaucinihilipilification to utilize egregiously and unnecessarily obtuse verbiage, I cannot eschew obfuscation on this happenstance.

Your friend – always,

Kitamura Yūsaku

* * *

"Dude, what the heck was that last sentence about?” Haruta asked. His girlfriend also seemed puzzled, but they weren't the only ones.

"Don't you remember?” Noto was barely able to restrain a snicker, “He said there would be some big words in the letter.”

Everyone was still laughing when the first fireworks lit up the night sky. Ryuuji was leaning back against the rock wall with Ami sitting between his legs and leaning back into his chest. Yasuko was nearby holding little Aiko-chan. Looking around as the fireworks dappled the landscape and his friends with brilliant, but momentary multicolored light, he could see other couples as well. Nanako was leaning into Hisako and they both had contented smiles as they watched the light show. Yuri-sensei and the Major weren't seeing much of the light show in the sky, but their inspired kissing was probably making some fireworks of their own. Noto and Maya were not far away from Hisako and Nanako, and finally there was Haruta and his fiancé.

 _Fiance?_   Ryuuji realized something as he looked back to the wonderful girl leaning into him. _Besides Haruta, Noto is engaged to Maya and Major Locke is engaged to Yuri-sensei. Why have I been dragging my feet? There is no better time than right now, while the fireworks are going off. Yes! Even if she shoots me down I'll still let her know how I feel about her._

“Ami?” Ryuuji's mouth was suddenly dry.

“Yes?” Ami suddenly felt the nervousness in Ryuuji. For a brief moment, she was worried that he may be having another crisis, but for some reason, her mind played back the vivid dream of being married to Ryuuji and having children about. Her own panic set in and she was glad that no-one could see her blush in the darkness. She reflexively grabbed his hand and held it tight. _Could he really be about to ask me… the question?_

“I um…” _I um… what? What do I say?_ Ryuuji looked around for inspiration and saw that the Major and Yuri-sensei had stopped kissing and were looking his way. They seemed to be giving him expressions of both disbelief and encouragement. He saw them still holding hands with their fingers interlaced and the engagement ring peeking out from one of Yuri-sensei's slender fingers. _Engagement ring? Engagement ring! I don't have an engagement ring!_ _What do I say? I um… need to go to the bathroom? No no no no! That's way to cliché! How can I NOT look like a complete idiot now…_ Ryuuji remembered how the Major handled it and how impressive he had been. “I was wondering if you preferred yellow gold or white gold?”

“White gold!” A chill ran up Ami's spine. She could feel her heart beating in her chest like a base drum. When she noticed that she hadn't been breathing, she took a shallow gasp of air and said, “Definitely white gold!”

“Yeah… white gold would look good on you.” Ryuuji was recalling what the Major had said next when his memory skipped to the end of the Major's proposal and he realized that he hadn't saved himself at all. The Major had thought ahead to have a ring prepared, but… _I still don't have a ring! Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!_ He could feel Ami growing restless between his legs and he knew what she was expecting him to say next. _How can I say the next line if I don't have the ring?_ Panic started to set in and he looked around for a way out. What he saw was surprising, if not helpful. Everyone was watching him now. Minori looked confused at first but seemed to figure it all out from everyone else's reactions. She seemed disappointed at first, but she shook that off and now wore a look of support and determination.

The Major could tell that something was amiss and could see Ryuuji's despair. Catching Ryuuji's attention, he mouthed _What's wrong?_

Ryuuji pointed to his ring finger with his thumb and shook his head.

The major closed his eyes for a moment as if in thought. Then he made a thumbs-up gesture that turned into a sweeping motion.

Go for it? Ryuuji blinked at the Major. Is he telling me to go for it?

“Ryuuji?” Ami called out to him without turning around. She was afraid to break the mood but he had been quiet for so long… _Is he getting cold feet? Second thoughts? Am I not good enough?_

“Snow or sakura?” Ryuuji asked. Knowing that the Major was giving his encouragement helped to calm Ryuuji a little bit. Still, he was tense after asking the second question. Now he was one step closer to hearing Ami's reply and remarkably, the dread of a negative response seemed to be slipping away.

“Witches!” Ami said.

“Witches?” Ryuuji's fragile calm was a little turbulent with Ami's unexpected response, but he was no longer as worried about panicking as he had been.

“I don't even want to wait for snow.” Ami said as she turned over so she was facing him now. Her hands on his shoulders, she was looking down into his eyes when she timidly said, “Ryuuji, you are asking me to marry you… aren't you?”

“Um… yeah…” Ryuuji admitted, “but I don't have the ring yet so…”

“Forget the stupid ring!” Ami said urgently. “Just ask me!”

“Kawashima Ami,” Ryuuji asked, “will you marry mumphh!” It was hard to finish the sentence with Ami kissing him like that. Not that many people could see how thoroughly he was being kissed; a waterfall of blue hair cascaded around Ryuuji's head as she kissed him. His arms went up and around her back and he pulled her down onto him as they kissed.

“Yes!” Ami said in the moment she broke off the first kiss and started the next.

“YES!” several voices said at once. Minori was a little shocked when she realized that hers was one of them.

“Are they going to be a mommy and daddy now?” Aiko-chan asked innocently. A few of the teens gasped or choked when they heard the question, but Yasuko only giggled.

“Not yet Aiko-chan,” Yasuko smiled, “Soon, but not quite yet.”

“Oh – nee – chaaaaaaaaan!” Ami growled before going in for her next kiss.

There was more giggling and subdued laughter now.

“The fireworks sure are impressive this year.” Noto observed.

“I never knew that Japanese fireworks could be so… memorable.” Deena-chan snickered.

The laughter was no longer subdued.

Ami hid her face in Ryuuji's neck and wrapped her arms around him. She could feel the muscles of his chest pushing back against the pressure of her breasts. The warmth of his body was like a fire and she relished basking in his flames. _As long as there is one person out there that understands me, I'll be okay. But he's not 'out there' any more. He's right here_ _next to_ _me and I'm g_ _oing to_ _be so much better than 'okay' from now on!_

With one hand on her back and the other on her head of blue hair, Ryuuji looked up at the sky and watched the fireworks above them. There was a girl in his arms that he loved, and she loved him back. Someone that he respected and she respected him back. And trust too… If only…

Ami felt him tense up and grow a little colder. “I know what you're thinking,” Ami said sternly but softly into his ear, “so stop it.” She gave him a minute to think about it, “As good as you've been as a manager for me, do you really think I could ever settle for anyone else? Honestly, if you left me, modeling and acting would be so boring.”

“You win,” Ryuuji relaxed again. His hand on her back started massaging her out of habit and he heard a soft moan as he felt her lips on his neck. “Hey… you wanna roll back over and see the rest of the fireworks?”

“Silly boy,” Ami giggled, “What makes you think I'm not seeing fireworks right now?” She heard him gasp as her tongue slid across sensitive nerves and her lips closed again on his neck.

 _Oh yes, the fireworks are magnificent this year!_   It seemed to Ryuuji that the whole sky was lighting up before his eyes.


	22. Character Descriptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no story in this chapter. This is a reference for the current cast of characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the point of the story that I put this together, the storyline date is 1 September, 2009. Because of this, some of the characteristics may vary from published canon resources since they represent 2008 statistics. A year will not have affected Yasuko much, but many of the teenagers will have grown some in that time.

**Aisaka Taiga** (Taiga-chan)  
female 145cm 34kg Birthday: 07/26/91 Amber eyes long orange-gold hair

So far, she has only appeared in the first chapter but has been referred to many times.

 

 **Takasu Ryuuji** (Ryuuji, Takasu-kun, Taka-chan, Takasu, Ryu-chan, Ryuuji-kun, Takasu-san, Mr. Manager, Ryuuji-sama)  
male 179cm 88kg Birthday: 04/11/91 black eyes shoulder length blue hair

This is a good place to explain names. Use of the first name suggests familiarity, so more to less familiar for him would be: Ryu – Ryuuji – Taka – Taskasu

Suffixes generally convey levels of respect, so childish to respectful would be: chan – kun – san - senpai – sama  
Mr. Manager would be an English (Romanji) variant of Takasu-san, or manager-san.

 

 **Takasu Yasuko** (Ya-chan, Yasuko, Onee-chan, Takasu-chan)  
female 163cm 60kg Birthday: 06/04/76 brown eyes long blond hair

Mother of Takasu Ryuuji. Although there is a word for 'mother', Ryuuji never uses it because it makes Yasuko feel old. Onee-chan technically means 'big sister' but lots of people (Ami included) have made her their honorary big sister and she is thrilled with that.

 

 **Kawashima Ami** (Ami-chan, Ami, Amin, Kawashima-san, Ami-senpai)  
female 172cm 51kg Birthday: 11/14/91 violet eyes long blue hair

Ami is the daughter of a media star (Kawashima Anna), is already a model and has aspirations to be a star herself. She is called 'senpai' (senior / mentor) by young Aiko-chan who aspires to be a model too.

 

 **Kushieda Minori** (Minorin, Kushieda, Minori-chan, Kushieda-san)  
female 166cm 58kg Birthday: 01/18/92 purple eyes short pink hair

Highly energetic, dreams of being a softball player at the international level. Ryuuji's original love interest, he gave her up for Taiga during the anime. They are friends now.

 

 **Kitamura Yusaku** (Kitamura-kun, Kitamura, Maruo, Yusaku)  
male 169cm 66kg Birthday: 08/30/91 dark blue-green eyes short dark blue-green hair

Ryuuji's first friend. Maya and Taiga's original love interest in the anime. His love interest is Sumire Kano. It is because of his love for Sumire that he graduates early and follows her to the overseas university. Along with Ryuuji and Noto, some of the smartest students in the school.

 

 **Kihara Maya** (Maya-chan, Maya, Kihara, Kihara-san)  
female 161cm 46kg Birthday: 12/03/91 red-brown eyes long orange-brown hair

Currently in love with, and engaged to, Hisamitsu Noto. Best friend: Kashii Nanako. Raised as an only child, has some issues with sharing. Resents other people becoming friends with her friends – feels like they are trying to take them away from her. Doesn't like change.

 

 **Kashii Nanako** (Nanako, Kashii, Nanako-chan)  
female 158cm 44kg Birthday: 05/24/91 purple eyes long purple hair

Also raised as an only child, she is a childhood friend of Kihara Maya. Although she loves Maya as more-than-a-friend, Maya doesn't see it and Nanako doesn't press it. She is more accepting of additional friendships and change than Maya.

 

 **Haruta Koji** (Haruta, Haruta-kun, Koji-san, Dude-san)  
 ****male 170cm 72kg Birthday: 04/20/91 blue eyes long dark blue hair

Childhood friend of Hisamitsu Noto. From a large family and is in an arranged marriage with someone he is in love with anyway. Dude! Happy-go-lucky attitude. His appearances are rare since he spends a lot of time with his fiancé (who appears only once in the anime and is unnamed).

 

 **Hisamitsu Noto** (Noto, Noto-kun, Hisamitsu-san, Noto-sama)  
male 168cm 66kg Birthday: 02/17/92 brown eyes short sandy-brown hair

Childhood friend of Haruta Koji and also from a large and influential family. In love with and engaged to Kihara Maya. Studious and intelligent, he can be courageous when the situation requires it.

 

 **Hisamitsu Noriko** (Noriko-chan, Noriko, Noriko-san) [Original Character]  
female 168cm 66kg Birthday: 03/30/91 brown eyes short sandy-brown hair

Grew up as cousin to Noto; they have known each other since infancy. Although a year older, she looks like she could be Noto's identical twin (albeit female). She has fallen in love with Noto over time and is fiercely jealous of him.

 

 **Hisamitsu Shinako** (Shinako, Shinako-san) [Original Character]  
female 154cm 43kg Birthday: 11/22/88 brown eyes long dark brown hair

A second cousin of Noto's. She is the confidant and trusted lieutenant of the matriarch of the Hisamitsu family.

 

 **Koigakubo Yuri** (sensei, Yuri-chan, Koigakubo-san)  
female 162cm 57kg Birthday: 08/12/78 red-brown eyes long red-brown hair

Sensei means 'teacher', and she is a teacher at the high school that Ryuuji, Ami, Noto, etc. go to. In the anime she was distressed about hitting thirty and not having a romantic interest. In WSP she falls in love with Major Locke.

 

 **Minami Umeko** (Minami-san, Umeko-chan, Umeko) [Original Character]  
female 161cm 48kg Birthday: 07/01/87 sea-green eyes black shoulder-length hair

Older sister of Minami Suzume, she met the main characters first as the stewardess on the Green Car (first-class, luxury, etc.) of the bullet train that took Ryuuji, Ami, Yasuko, and Yuri to Tokyo. She is responsible for her younger sister and worries about her traveling too far away.

 

 **Miname Suzume** (Suzume-chan, Suzume-senpai) [Original character]  
female 178cm 54kg Birthday: 10/11/94 sea-green eyes long red hair

Suzume is a third year student in a middle school in Tokyo. She had long been a fan of Kawashima Ami and followed her lead in becoming a model. She is called 'senpai' (senior / mentor) by young Aiko-chan who aspires to be a model too.

 

 **Yamada Yukiko** (Yuki-chan, Yamada-san) [Original Character]  
female 162cm 51kg Birthday: 03/09/82 ice blue eyes long dark brown hair

Daughter of the influential Yamada family likely to inherit the leadership position. She meets Ryuuji, Ami, Yasuko, and Yuri as the manager of the Le Dauphin hotel in Tokyo. She has a respect for Ryuuji's character and abilities and is good friends with Ami, Yasuko, and Yuri. She is later introduced to, and becomes friends with, Hisako.

 

 **Kurosawa Hisako** (Hisako-chan, Hisako, Hisako-senpai) [Original Character]  
female 176cm 55kg Birthday: 03/22/88 purple eyes long black hair

Originally believed to be the reason Ami dropped out of modeling, she is currently reviled in the modeling industry. Originally distrusting of everyone, she now uses 'Ryuuji-sama' to show her respect and loyalty to him. She is the loyal friend of Ami and Ryuuji who are trying to resurrect her career. Bisexual with a preference for women, she is attracted to Nanako who she sees as a wonderful and cute person. She is currently entrusted with Nanako's recuperation at Ami's house. Maya resists accepting her as she sees the growing friendship between her childhood friend (Nanako), and Hisako.

 

 **Aiko-chan** (Aiko, Aiko-chan) [Original Character]  
female 147cm 37kg Birthday: 08/08/00 Amber eyes long orange-gold hair

Aiko is a nine year old in her third year in grade school and could pass for a mirror image if Taiga. She is 2cm taller and already has curves that Taiga wishes she had. Unlike Taiga, she has a bright and cheerful attitude, despite being bullied at her grade school for being a 'freak' because she is so tall (for her age). Taken in by Ami and Yasuko while her parents are in the hospital, she idolizes the teens that have all taken to her. She refers to all the models as 'senpai' because she wants to learn from them to be a model too. Like Hisako, she refers to Ryuuji as Mr. Manager or Ryuuji-sama.

 

 **Major Locke** , United States Air Force (Major Locke, Major Charming) [Original Character]  
male 187cm 101kg Birthday: 06/14/76 green eyes short blond hair

He met the group when they were on a photo shoot on Iejiima (near Okinawa) and Yuri's leg was broken when the equipment he was working on spooked her horse. He fell in love with her and they are currently engaged.

 

 **Corporal Deena Walker** , Royal Australian Air Force (Deena-chan, Deena) [Original Character]  
female 189cm 82kg Birthday: 09/22/87 blue eyes platinum blond hair

After the RAAF assigned her to Okinawa for training on new equipment, she was acquired by Major Locke for 'special projects' and has accompanied him to Japan twice so far. She is a good friend of the models. Like Hisako, she refers to Ryuuji as Mr. Manager or Ryuuji-sama. Like Ami, she calls Yasuko - Onee-chan.

 


	23. Another Stalker

**Friday early-morning, September 4 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

“Witches huh?” Ryuuji thought about Ami's answer from the night before. That would put the wedding date at the same time as the cultural festival. _That's okay, we’re third years now so there’s no pressure to perform either as a class or as a club. There_ _i_ _s still the matter of the ring… and the matter of finding the money for the ring._ All the work that he had been doing as Ami's manager had been as a favor so he hadn't been paid for it. Yasuko was in the same position. She had been helping Ami get fit but both of their efforts were only as favors and compensation for living at Ami's house. Although he didn't talk about it with Yasuko, he knew that they were both getting what little spending money they had from his grandparents.

 _I'll have to start working a real job._ Ryuuji decided. He didn't feel it was right to ask his grandparents to buy a wedding ring for him. _I did part time jobs before and I can do them again. The problem is timing. I could work the whole winter break and earn some money, but she wants to get married before_ _December…_

“What's bugging you?” Ami sleepily asked without moving her head from Ryuuji's chest.

“Oh, nothing,” Ryuuji tried to sound convincing, “I'm just thinking of the Cultural Festival.”

“The Cultural Festival?” Ami snuggled in closer to Ryuuji's warmth and moaned, “Hmmmm, that sounds like a great idea.”

 _Huh? What sounds like a great idea?_ Ryuuji wanted to ask what she was talking about but Ami was already back to sleep. Ryuuji looked at his sleeping girlfriend. She looked so peaceful like this. He used his free hand to stroke her hair and kissed her on her forehead. For now, he would let her sleep, but he wanted to remember to ask her about the 'great idea' later.

.

**Friday morning, September 4 – The Mall**

* * *

Noto smiled as he watched the high quality photos coming out of the kiosk. The A4 sized portraits would make excellent gifts for his friends. It had only taken a moment out of their time at the festival to stand for the professional photographer. Considering Noto had asked for a group shot and a bunch of couples shots, he was surprised the guy hadn’t recognized any of the models. That had made him concerned that the photographer was a total novice that just happened to have an impressive looking camera rig. But the proof was in the prints, and they looked great. They were sharp, crystal clear, and the colors were vibrant. He was glad that the colors showed up so well since the girls had made an extra effort to look beautiful in their dazzling Yukatas.

After scrutinizing the first print, he looked down into the photo kiosk’s out-basket and saw that several more portraits were ready. Noto looked at his watch and estimated the time. He would be a little late to Ami’s house but it would be worth it. He couldn’t wait to see all of their faces when they got their mementos from that very special night.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone reach into the basket and pull out the completed portraits.

“Hey!” his head snapped up but he stopped when he saw who it was, “Oh… um… Shinako-san?”

Shinako held the group portrait in her right hand but was looking more at the portrait in her left hand. Noto and Maya looked perfectly happy together in a couples photo. The bright yellow and pink Yukata in the picture made Shinako wonder if Maya realized that bright colors were for girls that were unattached and still looking for a boyfriend. _Then again, maybe that interpretation is out of fashion._

“These are very happy looking couples,” Noto’s diminutive cousin said, “and this… a very lively group indeed. You are lucky to have such friends, Noto-sama.”

“Thank you, Shinako-san,” Noto blushed again at the formal title his slightly older and significantly more important cousin was using for him, “Shinako-san… about you calling me ‘sama’… it doesn’t feel right…”

“I have acknowledged what you said before as the truth. You will lead this family when you have finished your schooling and I will end up serving you.” Shinako said it so matter-of-factly that it actually worsened Noto’s embarrassment. “Aside from the fact that I should get used to it for that eventuality, there is a strategic purpose as well.”

“Strategic?” Noto wondered.

“I refer to you as Noto-sama at all times, whether with you or in family meetings.” Shinako explained, “By doing so, I have let the whole of the family know that I consider myself close to you by using 'Noto'. But more importantly, the 'sama' shows the high regard I have for you, your mental faculties, and the choices you have made. Even Obasama has observed this.”

It took only a moment for Noto to realize how much of an impact Shinako’s actions would have on his grandmother as well as the rest of the family. She hadn’t been picking on him; she had been doing this for his benefit.

“Thank you very much, Shinako-san.” Noto bowed low to his elder cousin, “I’ve been such an idiot. Please continue to support me.”

“Not just an idiot, you were mean to me too.” Shinako teased as she looked at the group portrait, “Why didn’t you invite me to the party? I have a pretty Yukata too!”

Noto smiled. He had never seen this playful side of Shinako before. He knew they would end up running the family businesses together and wondered if she would be as much fun then… of if she was very serious when she was on the job. Either way, he looked forward to the day he would be working with her.

“I promise to be mindful of you in the future, Shinako-san.”

“You should be,” Shinako smiled but let him know, “since I am always mindful of you, Noto-sama.”

.

**Friday morning, September 4 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Noto arrived late to Ami's house as expected. He couldn’t blame it on Shinako-san; the conversation with her ended long before the last picture was finished printing. He would not have much time for breakfast, but the delay had been worth it. The pictures had come out perfectly. After ringing the doorbell, he gave a last look at the photos in the folder he was carrying. _I should remember to keep that photographers contact information._ _Those shots were really good._

“You're late!” Hisako's voice brought him to his senses. Seeing the stack of pretty envelopes in his hands and thinking they might be presents, she softened her tone and asked, “Have you had breakfast yet?”

“I'm starving,” holding up the stack of portrait envelopes he added, “this took longer than I thought.”

“You'll need to hurry,” Hisako said as she took his arm and guided him up the stairs and to the kitchen table. “You'll be with the boys today and they need to be heading out soon.”

Maya saw Hisako coming in the room holding Noto's arm again and felt a brief flair of anger at the raven haired models easy intimacy with her fiancé. She was barely quelling the anger when Nanako spoke up.

“Oh Noto-kun,” Nanako was getting stronger every day but was still sounding weaker than her normal voice, “could you help me? I can't get the ketchup to come out.”

“Sure.” Nanako noticed that Ryuuji had made rice omelets for everyones breakfast. Nanako was handing him the squeeze bottle of ketchup that she was having trouble with. He set down the colorful portrait envelopes and took the plastic bottle. Noto smiled and decided that, after he cleared the nozzle, he would write 'Loved' on her omelet. It would probably make the purple haired girl blush but he knew it would make Maya happy. Noto figured that in her weakened condition, Nanako just didn't have the strength to squeeze the plastic bottle hard enough so he aimed the bottle at the plate and tried. “Huh, it must really be clogged.” He turned the bottle over to look into the nozzle.

“You thought I was a weakling, didn't you?” Nanako pouted.

“Dude, let me try!” Haruta grabbed for the bottle and squeezed.

“Wait!” Noto cried out as the bottle emitted a loud popping sound and sprayed him with ketchup. The clog hadn't cleared; the entire cap had come off and Noto was splattered with ketchup from his chin to his chest. “Ah!” Noto cried out as he fell backwards into the den. His head hit the carpeted floor. He was fortunate that the floor was not only carpeted but well padded, so it blunted the impact somewhat. Still, he blinked a few times as he looked up. At first, he thought he was seeing things, but his senses cleared and he realized he was looking at a reflection of himself in a full length mirror. _Weird. I look like I'm looking_ _up at myself - looking down on me on the floor_ _._

“Whoa, spectacular fall dude!” Haruta said excitedly, “You look like you're covered in blood… we gotta remember this for the cultural festival! We should do a haunted house this year!”

Hisako offered him a hand to get back up and started helping him take off his ketchup covered shirt. Maya wanted to jump up and displace Hisako at Noto’s side, but Nanako was leaning on her and holding her hand just now. Imagining the raven haired model running her hands all over her boyfriends body, she wanted to scream. _Get your damn hands off my fiancé, you… you… friend? Aw crap, why do I have to be this way?_ With Maya’s jealousy temporarily abated, she could see that Hisako was just… helping. There was nothing lewd or lascivious going on except in her own mind. _Why do I have to be this way?_

“We're third years now Haruta-kun.” Ami said dismissively, “We won't be doing a classroom project this year.”

“Whaaat?” Haruta looked truly crestfallen.

“That's true,” Yuri said, “everyone will be too busy studying for entrance exams. That's why third years rarely participate in the cultural festival, Haruta-kun”

“Awwwww.” Haruta had obviously been looking forward to doing something amazing again this year.

“Look at the bright side,” Ryuuji said as he brought out a spare shirt for Noto to change into, “you can spend the day at the festival with your fiancé and not have to worry about anything else.

“I guess.” Haruta thought about it. Remembering last year's production and how heavily he had been involved, Haruta realized that he wouldn't have any time to spend with his fiancé if he tried to do something like that again. Thinking about a carefree day to just wander around and enjoy the shops and shows with his fiancé, he decided, “Yeah, that'll be fun too.”

“What's in the pretty envelopes, Noto-kun?” Nanako asked. She had lost her interest in ketchup after seeing the bottle emptied all over Noto's body.

“Ah yes,” Noto spoke while he finished buttoning up the shirt Ryuuji had given him. It was a little large but it would do until he got home or bought something new. Picking up the special envelope he announced, “these are the pictures that were taken by the photographer at the festival. This one is for Kitamura.” Noto pulled out a special pen and continued, “I would like everyone to use this pen to sign the picture. There is also a card that we'll use to put any special comments or messages you would like to send with it.”

“Wow, that's really sweet Noto-kun!” Yasuko hugged the embarrassed teen, “Ryuuji has such nice friends, doesn't he?”

Hisako and Deena looked at each other and smiled as they hurried over toward Noto.

“He sure does, Onee-chan.” Hisako looked like a predator as she closed in on the unsuspecting Noto.

“Yes, Onee-chan, Noto-kun is so thoughtful!” Deena agreed as she came up on the other side.

“He's just the best, Onee-chan!” Suzume had figured out what her friends were up to and also swept down on Noto.

“Ack!” Noto cried out as he found himself hugged on all sides by the tall models. There was nowhere safe for his hands to be, so they stuck out from between the girls and flapped about as if begging for help.

Maya initially was upset but seeing her usually unflappable Noto starting to panic under the smothering attention of all these tall beauties was priceless. She couldn't help but laugh.

“Noto-kun is funny!” Aiko-chan squealed in laughter along with Maya. Soon, everyone was laughing at poor Noto’s sweet distress.

 _Clap! Clap! Clap!_ Everyone's laughter was quieted by the Major's loud claps, “I'm sorry to interrupt the fun, but the corporal and I have a very early flight back to Okinawa tomorrow morning, so we really do need to get a move on, if we’re going to get anything done today.” He looked pointedly at Ryuuji.

“Aww,” Yuri was the first to moan. She didn't want to think of her Major leaving her so soon.

“Deena-chan… You’re going away?” Young Aiko-chan's chin trembled and her eyes looked on the verge of tears. The little girl had been having so much fun with all of these older girls… she didn’t want to see any of them leave. The child in her didn’t want the fun to ever end. But, even at only nine years old, she understood that summer had to come to an end and she would eventually have to say bye bye to her new friends. Still, she didn’t have to like it. Just as her eyes started to get wet, she suddenly found herself several meters in the air and looking down on Deena-chan’s smiling face.

“Aiko-chan,” Deena said to the girl she was holding high in the air, “I live far, far away. So when I visit, we have to have loads of fun, so you won’t forget me, right?”

“I won’t forget you, Deena-chan!” the little girl cried defensively.

“Promise?” Deena acted surprised at the little girl’s defiance.

“I promise!” Aiko spread her arms as wide as she could, “I promise this much!”

“Good!” Deena winked, “Cause I’m not gonna forget you either.” Deena brought the smiling girl down into her arms and hugged her tight.

.

**Friday noon, September 4 – Train Station**

* * *

“All things considered, that probably wasn't the best timing.” Yuri commented as she watched out from the passenger seat of the big military vehicle that Deena was driving. The multi-passenger van wasn’t moving at the moment and both of them were watching out Yuri's window at the drama unfolding.

“I know, I know. You don't have to tell me.” an aggrieved Deena bit her lip, “I feel like dirt.”

Yuri could hear the hurt in the Australian girl's voice and reached back to take the big girl's hand. She gave the hand a gentle squeeze of support.

The SUV was parked in front of the train station. Hisako, Yasuko, and Ami were with Aiko-chan as they were bidding farewell to the Umeko sisters. Aiko-chan had become quite fond of Suzume since she was the closest to her in age and they were both taller than the other students they went to school with. Aiko had just got used to the idea that Deena would have to be leaving the next day, when the Umeko sisters reminded everyone that they were heading back to Tokyo on the noon train.

Aiko-chan was inconsolable. Through the van’s windows, they watched as Aiko-chan held onto Suzume's neck and bawled. Suzume wasn't immune to the little girl's emotions and was crying too. Watching it all from the van, both of them knew that Deena would be going through the same thing later this evening. Neither was looking forward to it.

 _She's going to be devastated._ Yuri thought as she watched the distraught Aiko-chan and thought about Deena's eventual departure.

“Interesting timing that all the boys remembered that they had to go shopping together.” Yuri observed. Of course this meant it would only be the girls getting to deal with little Aiko-chan's grief.

“Freakin cowards.” Deena said bitterly. It made her feel a little better to grumble about it, but she didn't mean it. She knew they were out to help Ryuuji find the perfect engagement ring. Ryuuji had suggested that Ami pick the ring out with him, but she insisted that he should choose the ring that would show her what he thought of her and 'symbolize his ideal of their future together.' Smiling at the shocked look on the men's faces, Ami had slyly added “No pressure…” Deena snickered when she thought of the daunting task ahead of them. _Poor suckers. They don't stand a chance against Ami-chan._

.

**Friday noon, September 4 – The Mall**

* * *

“Dude!” Haruta sounded more excited than usual as he looked at the small glittering thing in front of him, “Check out what Noto found! It totally screams _Ami_!”

Ryuuji and the Major moved away from the counters where they were and looked over Noto's shoulder at the ring in the small velvet box. It was a fluid looking ring of white gold with blue stones arranged to look like wings around a central clear white gem. The fluid look of the ring made it appear to still be in a liquid state – as if some magic were employed to keep the molten metal together and safe to touch.

“That's perfect.” The Major looked at the ring in wonder. He knew he was thinking what everyone else was thinking. _The shape, the style, the coloring… everything about this ring says it was made specifically for Kawashima Ami._

“It is perfect. There is no way we found this at the very first store we went to.” Ryuuji was in awe, but also in disbelief at the perfection in Noto's hand.

“Here Takasu-kun,” Noto handed the small box to Ryuuji, “take a closer look. You need to be sure, but I think it's perfect too.”

The attendant was nervous that the store's jewelry was handed to the criminal looking man. She moved her hand closer to the panic button that would summon the manager and the police.

“It's not terribly expensive, and I can help a little with a fifteen percent discount.” Noto offered. The ring was priced a bit over two hundred thousand Yen. In reality, his discount wouldn't do much more than offset the sales tax.

“Excuse me?” the attendant asked, “What is this about a discount?”

“Oh yeah,” Noto turned to the confused attendant, “you will probably need to get the manager for the authorization. I am Hisamitsu Noto.”

“Um… I don't understand.” the attendant was starting to wonder if this was some kind of scam. Perhaps they were waiting for her to go get the manager so they could steal the ring…

“Dude… Haruta leaned across the counter with a raised eyebrow and asked the now frightened attendant, “Hisamitsu Noto of the Hisamitsu family. You know… the same Hisamitsu family that owns this store.”

“Noto,” Ryuuji asked in surprise, “your family owns this place?”

“Yeah,” Noto dismissed it, “it's been in the family forever.”

“I couldn't help but overhear,” another attendant spoke up, “the manager is out but I am the assistant manager and I can sign. I'll just need your identification and signature on the purchase form.”

“Thank you,” Noto said as he handed over his ID to the assistant manager.

“It's so pretty,” Ryuuji looked at the ring sadly. He had just flipped the box over and looked at the price. Doing the numbers in his head for the discount and the tax, it still came out to a little over two hundred thousand Yen. That came out to be a lot of money that he did not have.

“You're worried about paying for it, aren't you?” the Major asked quietly. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, “This is a gift card.” He handed Ryuuji something that looked like a green credit card with his name on it.

“Major Locke, I couldn't…” Ryuuji started to refuse but the Major chuckled.

“Oh, it's not from me. Well, most of it isn't from me.” He grinned and explained, “There was a standard pay for the model work that was done back in Okinawa. Suzume, Hisako, and Ami said to give you their pay for that work if you used it on buying a ring. I am not supposed to let you use it on something responsible though.”

“Something responsible?” Ryuuji wondered.

“Paying off debts, buying groceries…” the Major said.

“Ah… I see.” Ryuuji asked, “How much is on the card?”

“Three thousand dollars.” the Major told him.

“So, I'm still short…” Ryuuji started to calculate the remaining cost. _I wonder if the store has a purchase plan or something I could use for the remainder. Of course I'll have to get a part time job, so…_

“ _Dollars._ ” The Major repeated with emphasis. He smiled as he saw the dawning look on Ryuuji's face.

“Dollars?” Ryuuji's eyes opened wide, “then… with the current exchange rate, that's about…”

“It's a little over two hundred and seventy-three thousand Yen.” The Major helped him get to the conclusion.

“I can buy this now?” Ryuuji was stunned at the sudden windfall, “I can buy this now!” Even if he used the card to buy the ring now, he vowed that he would repay the girls. After all, this was for their hard work performing as models and it wasn't right to take the money from them. He especially didn't like the idea of taking the money from Hisako. He had heard how desperate things were for her and knew that she needed every bit of money she could make.

.

A short time later, the four men were done with the quest they thought would take them most of the day. There was a shared sense of accomplishment, but they also felt that if they went back to the house this quickly, the women wouldn't think they had tried hard enough. None of them looked forward to aimlessly looking through more jewelery stores but the idea of getting a few drinks and chatting in the food court sounded good.

“Hey Takasu-kun,” Noto pulled out his cell phone, “let me get a picture of you with the rings.” After taking a close-up picture of the rings and another shot of Ryuuji holding the small velvet box in his big hands, Noto told them, “There's a photo kiosk here in the mall. It's where I printed out the pictures from the festival. I can print out these shots and add them to the pictures I send to Kitamura.”

“Great idea, dude!” Haruta slapped Noto on the back.

“Yeah, that will be nice. Thanks.” Ryuuji added. “I'll get you a drink while you print out the pictures.”

“Thanks.” Noto watched the others walk towards the food court while he stopped at the familiar photo kiosk. He was pretty familiar with all the functions now so he was thinking that the process wouldn't take long at all. It did, however take his concentration as he went through the myriad menu's on the kiosk's control panel.

Noto did not notice someone watching him from a few dozen meters away. The lone figure got closer as Noto went through the menu options and uploaded his picture. Never realizing it, the person was soon looking over his shoulder at what he was doing at the kiosk.

“Hey Noto!” Ryuuji said as he approached the kiosk, “You like iced coffee, right?”

“Yeah.” he looked up to see a strange expression on Ryuuji's face, “What's up?”

“I was wondering where your friend went.” Ryuuji was looking around.

“What friend?” Noto wondered what Ryuuji was talking about.

“The guy that was standing here with you.” Ryuuji saw at Noto's surprised look and knew that Noto wasn't trying to hide anything. “You really didn't know there was someone standing right behind you and looking over your shoulder?”

“No,” now Noto was looking around, “what did he look like?”

“Hard to tell,” Ryuuji admitted, “he was wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a cold mask.” Looking around they both thought that a person dressed like that might be easy to spot, but they soon discovered that almost half the people in the mall seemed to be wearing the ridiculous cold masks.

“It's the Pandemic.” Noto observed, “even healthy people are wearing the masks hoping it will protect them from this flu.”

“Don't they realize those masks are completely ineffective?” Ryuuji asked.

“Hey,” Noto sounded sympathetic, “when the only advice is to be careful…”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” Ryuuji added, “I hope the vaccine finishes its trials soon.”

“Yeah, me too.” Noto collected the finished photo's and headed to the food court with Ryuuji.

From behind a planter of bamboo, brown eyes watched him leave. Tears ran from behind sunglasses into the cloth of the cold mask and hands were clenched in fists of rage. No-one was close enough to hear the quiet but strained voice say, “Pictures… of wedding rings?”

.

**Saturday morning, September 5 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Yasuko let the sleeping Aiko-chan wake up slowly. The Taiga sized girl had slept next to Yasuko all night after she had been carried to bed. Yasuko was still in bed next to her and smiling down at the sleeping girl. Up on one elbow, she ran her hand through the little girl’s explosion of orange-gold hair and watched for the flutter of waking eyelids.

“Deena-chan is gone,” Aiko-chan said sleepily, “isn't she.” Amber eyes finally opened and looked up to Yasuko. They were already wet with tears.

“Yes, sweetheart.” Yasuko told the girl, “But she didn't go until she granted your wish. She read you a book. She rocked you. And she let you fall asleep in her lap. Do you remember that?”

“Yeah,” a single tear ran down the little girl’s face. In a sad voice she said, “I'm gonna miss her so much.”

“Well, I hope you miss all of us!” Yasuko smiled.

“You do?” Aiko-chan sounded stricken. She didn't want to miss anyone. She wanted them all to stay with her, “Why, Onee-chan?”

“That means you'll always be happy when we get to visit!” Yasuko asked, “After you get to go home, will you want to visit us again?”

“YES!” Aiko-chan was excited now. Kneeling up in the bed next to Yasuko, she looked as if she was just told it was time to open presents. “Can I really? Will you let me come visit? Can I see all of you again?”

“Of course!” Yasuko grabbed the girl and held her in a breast defying hug, “I already can't wait until your next visit and you haven't even left yet!”

“Thank you, Onee-chan!” Aiko-chan hugged Yasuko back and told her, “I love you so much. I love all of you so much!”

“Let’s take one last bath together,” Yasuko kept her voice steady but tears were spilling from her eyes too now, “… one last bath with your Onee-chan before your mother comes to pick you up.”

.

By mid-afternoon, Yuri, Hisako, and Yasuko were the only ones left in the big house. Although Aiko-chan’s father was still in the hospital, her mother had been released and had picked her up shortly after lunch. Nanako’s mother came by to pick her up as well. On a rare date with just each other, Ami and Ryuuji were seeing a recent movie that Kawashima Anna had been in, so they were out too. Sitting around the kitchen table, Yuri was already busy writing a letter to her beloved Major but the other two looked pretty blue.

“Are you two gonna be okay?” Yuri asked without looking up from her letter.

“How can you not be sad?” Yasuko asked, “With everyone leaving… everyone gone… this place seems so empty.”

“I guess I’m just used to it.” Yuri said.

“Huh?” Hisako looked up but the teacher’s head was still down and she was still writing.

“I’m a high school teacher.” Yuri told them, “Every year I get a bunch of kids. I watch them learn and grow into adults. And then they leave. Every year, I have to stand there with a smile on my face at the graduation ceremony… and watch them go.”

“So, after a while it doesn’t hurt any more?” Hisako asked.

“No… it hurts.” Yuri looked up and her two friends could see the wetness in her eyes, “It hurts every year.”

“That’s terrible!” Yasuko said.

“Why don’t you quit and do something else?” Hisako asked.

“And then what?” Yuri asked, “The students would get a teacher who doesn’t want to be hurt… so they don’t care. The kids deserve better than that, don’t you think?” Her calm seemed to fall apart as she looked at them. Her mouth started to quiver, then the tears started running down her cheeks.

Hisako and Yasuko got up from their chairs and hugged the teacher that was now spilling teardrops on her unfinished letter. Both of them were thinking about the teachers they had in their own experiences. The ones that seemed to really care… they never thought about how those teachers thought at the end of the school years before.

“This class… I’m going to miss them so much!” Yuri choked out through her tears, “So much has happened to them and to me in this time we’ve had together. How can I just let go with a graduation ceremony? Why does it have to end? I know exactly how Aiko-chan feels,” Yuri choked back several sobs and cried, “I don’t ever want it to end either!”

.

**Monday afternoon, September 7 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

At the Kawashima house, the girls wore their prettiest swimsuits one last time at the end-of-summer party. There was no pool in Ami’s back yard, but Ryuuji had set up several sprinklers and there were lounge chairs to relax in. He had also set up a volleyball net, but there wasn’t much room so any game would have to be non-competitive. It was a perfect summer day for the party too. Without a cloud in the sky, it was shaping up to be a pretty hot day.

“Maya!” Nanako suddenly turned on her friend and held up a squeeze tube, “This is sunscreen.” gesturing to Maya’s left and right, she added, “This is Noto and Hisako. I know you don’t like sunscreen, but you have to use it. If you’re good, Noto will put the sunscreen on you. If you’re not good, Noto and I will hold you down and Hisako will put it on you. So, what’s it gonna be?”

“I’ll be good.” a chastised and demur Maya answered. The last time she had ignored Nanako’s admonishment to use sunscreen, she had ended up in the hospital. It had not been that long ago and the painful memories of that terrible sunburn were still fresh. Maya wouldn't be making that mistake again.

“Fine,” Hisako got a sly smile, “then I’ll put the sunscreen on Nanako.”

“Okay!” Nanako chirped before Maya could object.

Having been the smaller purple haired girl's caretaker for a while, Hisako had washed her body, and had massaged pain away from Nanako's tired muscles several times by now. She knew exactly where Nanako wanted to feel her caress as she squirted the sunscreen lotion into her hands. In moments, Nanako was moaning from the pleasure of Hisako's skillful massage.

Noto and Maya couldn't help but hear their friend's moans of pleasure, and looked over at the two girls. Not watched Hisako in admiration of her masseuse skills. Maya bit her lip and tried to fight back the bitter feelings of jealousy rising within her.

.

“Looks like they’re having fun.” Ryuuji commented as he looked over the terrace railing at Noto and Hisako putting sunscreen on Maya and Nanako.

“Looks that way.” Ami wondered if Maya was enjoying it as much as everyone else. She was a good friend but she had a habit of letting her jealousy get the better of her.

“Um, Ami… I need to ask you about something.” Ryuuji had been thinking about this for some time. He was sure he would come up with the right way to bring up the subject but here it was… the day before they went back to school, and he was fumbling through it. Still without a plan. “It’s about tomorrow.”

“When we go back to school?” Ami was still looking over the terrace.

“Yeah, so… I was thinking that we should just act normal.” Ryuuji didn’t want things to get out of control. He didn’t want Ami to get picked on. If nobody found out… if they could just keep it a secret until the end of school…

“Normal, huh? Which normal?” Ami asked.

“Huh, what do you mean?” Ryuuji could tell that Ami was thinking about the conversation even if she was still looking over the terrace at everyone in the back yard. _What are you up to?_

“The normal where we are having fun with our friends and hanging out with each other – really the social center of attention for the whole class? Or do you mean the normal where you are a big dumb depressed brooding hunk of meat all alone in your desk? Or, perhaps the normal where you and I spend all our spare time with each other and no-one else can talk to us or have lunch with us?” Ami turned to Ryuuji and asked him directly, “What exactly is it that you want to pretend didn’t happen, Ryuuji? What have you done that is so shameful that you want to try and hide it?”

“Ami, I…” Ryuuji was dumbstruck. _Is that how she would see it? Does she think I’m embarrassed to be seen with her?_

“What?” Ami demanded, “Tell me what is so horrible that it is bothering you this much?”

“I just…” Ryuuji looked down now. He couldn’t meet her eyes when he said it, “I just don’t want anyone saying bad things about you or picking on you because… because of me.”

“I see,” Ami calmed down a bit, “so even if it is killing you to be standoffish, you would do that for me?”

“Yeah,” Ryuuji felt a little relief that she was taking it as well as she was, but at the same time he was a little disappointed. “So, what do you think?”

“I think you’re an idiot and a selfish jerk.” Ami said conversationally.

“Huh?” Ryuuji had been called an idiot a lot but, “Why do you think I’m selfish?”

“Did it even cross your mind to think about what I want?” Ami asked.

“Um…” Ryuuji had to admit that it hadn’t. He knew he wanted to do whatever was best for Ami, but he had put all his energy into figuring out what that was. _Am I too used to thinking about only myself? I’m not used to having friends, much less a girlfriend. Maybe I am a selfish jerk._ “You’re right.” Ryuuji admitted, “It never crossed my mind. I’m sorry.”

“Oh um… it’s okay.” Ami had meant the comment only to be a playful rebuke but it seemed that Ryuuji had taken the words much more seriously. Now that he had taken her reproof to heart, it was too late to admit it was all in fun. Determined to end this well, she took his hands and held them until he looked up into her eyes. Then she told him, “You just have to remember that we are a team now. Just don’t do stuff that you think is best for me without talking to me about it. Okay?”

“Okay.” Ryuuji promised himself that he would do better in the future. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, “So, when you were forcing me to decide between universities in Tsukuba, Osaka, and Tokyo…”

“That’s different.” Ami’s smile went away, but her arched eyebrow showed she wasn’t going to concede this point, “You were being a complete idiot and needed to be pushed.”

“So you say…” Ryuuji was going to object.

“I didn’t say it. Your mother did.” Ami smiled again, “I just agreed with her.”

“...” Ryuuji opened his mouth to say something but he had to admit that Yasuko would have said that… and she would have agreed with Ami’s tactics. _Heck, she was probably in on it with Ami from the beginning._ “So, what do you want to do about tomorrow then?”

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s not like I plan on making an announcement or anything.” Ami winked, “But if it does come up, I won’t lie.”

“Fair enough,” Ryuuji smiled. “Enough of this serious stuff. Let’s go enjoy the party.”

.

Noto got lots of pictures at the party. There were pictures of everyone playing volleyball, running through the sprinklers, basking in the warmth of the summer sun, eating meat and vegetable skewers from the grill on the back porch, and finally – holding sparklers in the last light of the day. He had only intended to send the pictures to Kitamura, but looking through them on the small screen on the back of his camera, he realized that everyone would want these memories.

.

**Tuesday noon, September 8 – High School**

* * *

Everyone knew the routine. After the morning assembly there would be a brief homeroom for any additional announcements, and everyone would be released early. In previous years, the teacher was likely to give them a writing assignment to tell what they had done over the summer break, but they were third years now, so it was all about the test preparations.

“Okay people take your seats please,” Koigakubo Yuri came into the room using a cane. She was supposed to still be on crutches, but since today would be an early release, she thought a cane would be fine. “Class rep?”

“Stand, bow, be seated.” Noto led the class after everyone made it to their seats. With everyone seated, it became obvious that there were a few empty seats. Although not uncommon for a few absences on the first day, with the news of the pandemic on everyone’s mind, it made the class hope for the best for their absent friends.

“Okay, I only have a few announcements, but I want you all to remain here after I am done so Noto-kun can take a class picture. There may be some questions on some of these announcements but I want you to wait until I am done and ask the questions at the end. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sensei.” the class responded almost automatically.

“First item is from building maintenance: the girls bathroom on the second floor of this wing is closed until further notice. Apparently there is a plumbing problem. Second floor students will be using the bathrooms on the first and third floors until repairs are completed. Understood?”

“Yes, sensei.” mostly it was just the girls that answered this time.

“Second is an announcement that I think all of you already know. Kitamura Yusaku has graduated early and has already started school at a university in America.” Looking around the room, Yuri saw that there were only a few people that seemed surprised by this news. “There has been correspondence with him already and I can tell you that he is doing well there. For any additional information, please see Noto-kun. Understood?”

“Yes sensei.” there was more interest this time and many students were planning to ask Noto what he had heard from Kitamura, after the announcements were over.

“Third is an item of ethical disclosure: I broke my leg over the summer break and I am currently living with someone who is managing my convalescence. There are three students that currently live in that house that are in this classroom. If anyone thinks there may be a conflict of some kind, please see the counselor’s office and you may get a homeroom reassignment. Understood?”

“Whaaaat?” The classroom exploded. Having seen the cane she was using they had all guessed something had happened but…

“How did you break your leg?”

“Who are you living with?”

“How long will it take to get healed?”

“Hey!” Noto and Ryuuji both barked at the same time. The class looked to both of them but Noto was the one to address the class, “Sensei said to wait until the announcements were over to ask questions.” Noto and Ryuuji took their seats after everyone else quieted down and took theirs. When the room was calm again, Noto said, “Please continue, sensei.”

“Thank you, Noto-kun.” Yuri smiled at her class. They had just been disciplined for speaking out of turn, but all the questions were about her well being or showing interest for her. No-one seemed upset about the possible ethical problem. _These are such good kids. I only have six months left with them before graduation… I want to remember every moment._

“The final announcement is a student request: Kawashima Ami and Takasu Ryuuji are engaged to be married. Understood?”

“WHAAAAT?” The classroom exploded again. Questions were flying now and couldn’t be stopped. When Noto tried to corral the students, they just pointed out that this had been the final announcement, so it was okay to ask all kinds of questions.

Ryuuji’s jaw dropped. Even if he had wanted to keep it a secret, he knew that it would get out sooner or later but he thought he would be answering questions about this and that, to a few students at a time over the next several weeks. _So this is what she meant… sure, she didn’t plan to make an announcement. She had Yuri-sensei do it for her._ He looked over to his teacher to see if she was smirking but saw that Yuri was surrounded by curious students too.

“Al right, all right!” Ryuuji stood on his desk and yelled out to the rest of the class, “If you like, I’ll tell you what happened over the summer break and that should answer your questions about sensei, Ami and me.”

Everyone turned to Ryuuji and agreed to hear him out. Ryuuji looked over at Noto, Maya, and Nanako. They all nodded. Then he looked to Haruta and got a huge smile and an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Finally, he turned to Yuri-sensei and she nodded too.

“First of all, it started when my mom and I went with Ami to Tokyo…” Ryuuji told a summarized version of the story of their rather amazing summer holiday. In the end, he told them about the engagements of Noto and Maya, Haruta and his girlfriend, Yuri-sensei and the Major, and of course, his own plans to marry Ami. He told them about Yuri breaking her leg while riding horses, the medical evacuation, and doing modeling work in Okinawa.

Noto cut in and told them about being out on an island with Nanako and Maya, getting hit by the effects of the earthquake and the typhoon, then being rescued by Ryuuji, Ami, Yuri-sensei, and the Major.

Nanako wanted to tell them that she didn’t remember much after being bit by the snakes and succumbing to the flu, but she was running out of energy. After hearing how she had valiantly fought the effects of both the snake venom and the flu, two girls sat down next to her and held her gently while Maya finished telling the class what Nanako wanted to say.

The storytellers left out the names of the people that were not there to consent to their story being told. Their other new friends were referred to as ‘the Major’, ‘another model’, ‘a hotel manager’ and such. Even with all the detail that Ryuuji, Noto, and Maya put into the stories, there still seemed to be a hundred questions at the end.

By the time they finished telling the stories and answering the questions, it was late in the day. Noto got his class picture to the colors of the setting sun.

.

**Wednesday morning, September 9 – High School**

* * *

As she did the day before, Hisako walked Nanako all the way to school. She carried Nanako’s bag and lunch until they got to the gates of the school where she handed them over.

“Hisako-chan,” Nanako asked as she shouldered the heavy bag, “why do you wear those sunglasses when you walk me to school?”

“I’m pretty infamous,” Hisako smiled, “I’d hate for people to start saying mean things about you if they found out that you know someone like me.”

“Really?” Nanako smiled, “What if I don’t care what people think?”

“You say that now, but rumors can really hurt.” Hisako warned the cute girl with the long purple hair. “Now get going or you’ll be late. I’ll be right here when you get out of school.”

“You promise?” Nanako said as she headed into the school grounds.

“I promise!” Hisako waved to Nanako to get going. She watched Nanako walking away from her until she disappeared into the building. Having nothing else to do, she started walking around the school’s perimeter. It was a pleasant day and she enjoyed the walk. She could go back to the house, but she would be alone. Yasuko had called up one of her former employers and found out that he had some work she could be doing in the day time. It was only a part-time job and she would be showing up at the school in time to walk home with Yuri.

On her fourth or fifth time walking around the school’s perimeter, she saw something that caught her eye. There was a place that was not easily seen from the road where a person would have a pretty good view of the school grounds and the building itself. What bothered Hisako was the presence of energy drink cans and snack wrappers littered around that spot. She walked over to the spot and took a closer look. Squatting next to the litter she could see that the wrappers still had food crumbs in them and the drink cans still had some of the drink in them. She knew this was recent and worried that Ami might have another stalker.

“Hey you!” Hisako heard someone behind her. From the voice it sounded like a man. “What are you doing over there?”

“Are you with the school?” Hisako asked without getting up or turning around.

“Yeah,” the person was getting closer, “I’m a PE teacher there. The office said someone suspicious was over here and asked me to check it out.”

Stealing a glance, she saw that he was certainly dressed like a PE teacher and had the athletic body to be some kind of coach.

“I think the office was right.” Hisako motioned for him to come closer, “Come take a look at this.” She waited until the guy was squatting next to her and pointed out what she found, “The snack wrappers and energy drink cans are fresh. I think someone is using this spot to spy on the school.”

“Why would they do that?” the coach asked.

“Kawashima Ami goes to that school. She has had problems with stalkers before.” Hisako thought she was getting through to this guy.

“And why shouldn’t I think that you’re not the stalker?” the coach asked.

“Huh?” Hisako realized that finding her here could indeed look very suspicious. “Because I’m Ami’s best friend.”

“Sure you are.” the coach sounded noncommittal, “How about you come with me into the administration building and we talk about this?”

Hisako’s first thought was to run. Then she remembered that she wasn’t doing anything wrong and she really was Ami’s friend. All they would have to do is call Ami down to identify her and all of this could be cleared up. However, she really hoped to avoid that. She wanted Ami to be able to enjoy her last months of high school and she knew how much stalkers bothered Ami.

.

Sitting across the desk from the assistant principal, Hisako thought of how she could prove herself as Ami’s friend without getting Ami involved. She handed her phone over and had let the old man flip through all the pictures.

“It looks like you know quite a few of our students… and one of our teachers.” the coach observed. His brow furrowed as he noticed Koigakubo Yuri in several of the pictures.

“All right,” the assistant principal asked, “so if you’re not the stalker, what were you doing there?”

“Do you know about Kashii Nanako’s physical condition?” Hisako asked.

“Yeah,” the coach said, “I got a note from her mother that she was ill over the summer break and won’t be able to do much until November.” He sounded dismissive, as if the girl got her mother to make up a story just so she didn’t have to do any exercises in PE.

“To be specific,” Hisako told them, “she was recovering from being bit by a nest of Mamushi, when she came down with the H1N1 flu.”

“Oh my…” the coach looked at Hisako and realized the raven haired girl was telling the truth, “my apologies. I thought she was just being lazy.”

“I understand,” Hisako used the momentum of his apology to press on, “I have been taking care of her and helping her with her physical rehabilitation. I walked her to school this morning and I was waiting for school to end so I could walk her home.”

“And if I wanted to verify this story?” the assistant principal asked.

“You could call her mother or I could give you the name of the hospital.” Hisako remembered another little gem, “There are pictures on my phone of Nanako-chan dressed in funny outfits in a hospital bed.”

“Funny outfits?” the coach asked.

“Kihara Maya and I did that to cheer her up.” Hisako twisted the truth there a little, “We ended up going around the hospital and cheering up a lot of sick children that day.”

“I see.” the assistant principal said as he flipped through the pictures. The coach looked at the pictures over the assistant principals shoulder. Both of the men seemed impressed. The assistant principal asked, “Both Kihara Maya and Kashii Nanako are in Koigakubo Yuri’s class, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” Hisako answered.

“Very well,” the assistant principal decided, “If you can promise not to interrupt the class, and if Koigakubo-san agrees to it, I will give you a guest pass to come to the school and be with Kashii-san until the end of her convalescence.”

“I promise!” Hisako said eagerly. This was definitely more than she had dared hope for.

.

Hisako's hope faded to worry. She had readily agreed to this just minutes ago, but now she was listening to her doubts. She had already told Nanako that she didn’t want to cause her problems by letting anyone know that they knew each other. Now here she was… getting permission to be with Nanako even at school. As they left the administration building, Hisako put her sunglasses back on and hoped for the best. If she ended up ruining Nanako’s last few months of High School, she would never forgive herself.

Moments later, Hisako was walking down the long empty hallways of the school building with the assistant principal. Neither of them had realized until they both stood up how tall she was… and how short he was. Wearing her sunglasses and guest badge, she looked a little odd walking next to the administrator that was easily a dozen centimeters shorter. The few people they encountered in the hall did double-takes when they saw the tall raven haired beauty walking next to their assistant principal. Some wondered if she was a new student… or a new teacher.

When they got to classroom 3-C, it appeared the students were quietly taking a quiz. Ryuuji was one of the few that had already finished the quiz, and saw Hisako and the assistant principal at the door. He knew how difficult it was for Yuri to move, so when he saw the assistant principal motion for her to come to the door, he got up from his seat and helped her.

“Your students are quite thoughtful, Koigakubo-san.” the assistant principal said as he watched the very dangerous looking student supporting his injured teacher.

“Thank you. And yes, they are all wonderful students.” looking at Hisako standing quietly next to the administrator, she asked, “Is there a problem?”

“I take it that you know this young lady?” the assistant principal asked.

“Yes,” Yuri surprised Hisako by adding, “she is a dear friend.”

“Then there is no problem.” he handed a clipboard over to Yuri with a form for her to sign, “As long as it is alright with you, Kurosawa Hisako here will have a guest pass to be on premises to assist Kashii Nanako during her convalescence.”

“Oh yes,” Yuri quickly signed the form and handed the clipboard back to the assistant principal, “that would be very helpful.”

“Thank you Hisako-chan.” Ryuuji was amazed at the change in Hisako. He could tell that she was still a little afraid of what she was doing by the way she seemed to be standing there so stiffly and wearing the sunglasses. “Hisako-chan is very thoughtful to do this for our friend.”

“Thank you, Ryuuji-sama.” Hisako nervously made a slight bow when she thanked Ryuuji for the compliment.

 _Ryuuji-s_ _ama?_ The administrator was curious. It was obvious that Kurosawa Hisako knew Takasu Ryuuji by that little exchange. But how? Wait a minute… was that an engagement ring on Koigakubo-san’s finger? The administrator walked back to his office wondering who these people were and what was going on in classroom 3-C. He would have to schedule a chat with Koigakubo Yuri when he got back to his desk.

.

The quiz was over by the time Yuri, Ryuuji, and Hisako came back into the room. Yuri was wondering how she would introduce Hisako when one of the girls in the class jumped out of her seat and started pointing at Hisako.

“I know who you are! I know who you are!” she was on the verge of hyperventilating, “But… there’s no way you could be here!” A few other girls made the connection now too and looked back at Ami to see her reaction. They were all surprised to see Ami looking quite pleased.

“Ami-chan,” Yuri decided this might be the best way, “would you mind doing the introduction?”

“I’d be happy to.” Ami got up from her desk and went to the front of the room. Ami stood beside a trembling Hisako and held her hand. “You can probably tell from looking at her that she is a model, like me.” Ami reached up and snatched the sunglasses off Hisako's face before she could react, “I would like you to meet my very best friend, Kurosawa Hisako.”

“Class!” Yuri said before the questions started up, “Hisako-chan is here to take care of Nanako-chan until Nanako is completely recovered from her illness and injuries. Since it is almost lunch time, I’ll let you ask the questions I know you have. But keep in mind that people are entitled to their privacy and are not required to answer every question you have.”

Most of the boys and some of the girls didn’t know who she was or what the big deal was. Well, other than the fact that they now had another model in the classroom. But there were enough students that did know who Hisako was that their questions were making her feel uncomfortable. Ami was taking care of most of the ‘misunderstanding’ questions but it was the worry about what this might do to Nanako that caused Hisako's discomfort. Rumors could be so cruel. Nanako was so sweet and so innocent. Hisako didn’t want anything to happen to her dear Nanako.

“How do you know Nanako-chan? Are you friends? Where did you meet her? Are you related?”

Hisako cringed when she heard these questions. She was considering leaving the room when she heard Nanako’s voice from nearby.

“Hisako-chan knows me from when she rescued me from dying.” There were gasps and the room got quiet to hear Nanako’s soft voice. They moved out of her way as Nanako slowly walked to the front of the room to stand with Hisako too, “She was there on the same plane with Ryuuji-kun and Ami-chan and Yuri-sensei.” Nanako was now standing in front of Hisako. She reached out to hold the taller girl’s hand.

 _No Nanako. You don’t have to do this. Why do you have to be so nice?_ Hisako was calmed down now that Nanako was near, but her eyes were watering up as she thought of what Nanako was doing for her.

“She stayed with me when I was sick and she was the first person I saw when I woke up.” Nanako saw that she had everyones attention, “She is very strong and has had to use her strength to carry me when I was too weak to move.” Nanako pulled on Hisako’s hand and moved into position. As if responding to a trained condition, Hisako swept Nanako off her feet and held her in a princess carry. Nanako held onto the tall girl with her arms around Hisako's neck.

 _Nanako stop. You’re not thinking this through!_ Even though she wanted Nanako to stop, Hisako held her close in her arms.

“I do like her but not as a friend like the way I like Maya-chan.” Nanako’s words felt like an arrow going through Hisako’s heart. “Everyone knows that Maya-chan is my best friend, right?” Mesmerized by what Nanako was doing right in front of them, they were all nodding in agreement. Hisako was doing her best not to cry in front of Nanako’s classmates.

“This is how I like Hisako-chan,” Nanako pulled herself up a little and kissed Hisako on the lips. Hisako stopped breathing when she felt Nanako’s lips on her own lips. Her eyes popped open when she realized the kiss wasn’t brief, or chaste. Panic quickly gave way to surrender and she was soon kissing the cute purple haired girl back.

There was a collective gasp in the room.

“Nanako, what are you doing?” Hisako’s voice was full of concern. Her whole face was blushing a dangerous red.

“I’m pretty sure I just confessed to you in front of my whole class.” Nanako smiled her angelic little smile and remarkably, didn’t seem to have a fear or a care in the world.

“Confessed?” Hisako was stunned to see that the girl wasn’t blushing at all. She felt like her own face was about to burst into flames. It had been a long time since anyone had ever confessed to her, but she did remember what to do, “Oh Nanako. My dear, precious Nanako. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the first time I saw you in Izu.” They were about to kiss again when Yuri stopped them.

“Okay, enough of that.” Yuri reminded Hisako of her promise and where she was, “This is a school and you promised not to disrupt the class. You’ll need to save the romance for after school.” Yuri winked at the two of them.

“Yes sensei.” both girls agreed. A number of classmates nervously laughed.

“That goes for you two as well.” Yuri said to Ryuuji and Ami.

“Yes sensei.” they agreed. Ami giggled while Ryuuji blushed. More classmates joined in the laughter.

“And you two!” she pointed to Noto and Maya who quickly let go of each others hands.

“Yes sensei.” they agreed too. The whole class was laughing now as the class rep and his girlfriend were both blushing at having such attention turned on them.

“Sensei,” Ryuuji smiled as he observed, “you’re acting like the single sensei again but you have a romance going on too, don’t you?”

“Oh yes!” Yuri brought her hand up and looked at the pretty engagement ring that the Major had given her. Of course, this launched a barrage of new questions.

“What’s he like?”

“Is he really a foreigner?”

“Where did you meet?”

“Is he your first love?”

“Tell us about the proposal!”

“Have you set the date?”

Ryuuji, Ami, Noto, and Maya moved away from Yuri's desk toward the windows. From next to the windows, they watched Yuri-sensei accept her students congratulations and patiently answer all their questions. Lunch took a little longer in classroom 3-C that day, but no-one complained.

.

There was someone watching patiently from across the courtyard, just outside the school grounds, near the old pedestrian bridge. A lone figure stood quietly while finishing off an energy drink. Seeing the people that had just moved close to the windows in that third floor classroom, the figure stopped moving and lowered the energy drink can. Eyes squinted, and a voice whispered, “There you are. And you're with… ” Fury seemed to course through the voyeur. The sentence was finished not with words, but with a trembling hand crushing the energy drink can.


	24. Trigger Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please observe the trigger warning below. I set it up this way so that there is no SPOILER for everyone else.
> 
> Heed and read, or skip. Your choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **> >>>>>>>>> SPECIAL NOTE <<<<<<<<<<**
> 
> The last section of this chapter contains element(s) that mandate a **Trigger Warning**. As **Trigger Warnings** can be spoilers, I have tried to set this up so that the story is unspoiled as much as possible. If you feel that reading about a traumatic event will cause you emotional stress or pain, you should quickly Scroll all the way to the bottom or quickly hit the PageDown key until you are at the bottom of the document to read the specific **Trigger Warning**.
> 
> **> >>>>>>>>> SPECIAL NOTE <<<<<<<<<<**

**Thursday Afternoon, September 10 – High School**

* * *

“Are you looking for someone?” Noto asked Hisako. Ever since school let out and they had all left the building, Hisako had been acting peculiar. She seemed nervous, as if she felt like she was being watched. Noto saw her looking across the grounds in the direction of the old pedestrian bridge throughout the day.

“Stay close to Ami-chan.” Hisako said quietly, “She may have another stalker.” Hisako was thinking about telling Ryuuji as well but just then his cell phone rang and he got involved in a conversation.

“What makes you think that?” Maya asked.

“Yesterday I found snack wrappers and energy drinks over there,” Hisako gestured with a glance instead of pointing, “and this morning I saw someone over there that looked suspicious.”

“Suspicious?” Maya prodded.

“Hat, sunglasses, and cold mask.” Hisako told them.

 _That sounds familiar._ Noto thought to himself.

“Well, it is a sunny day.” Maya pointed out, “And with the Pandemic going on, it isn’t so unusual to see people in cold masks.” The others had to agree that she had a point. About a quarter of the student body was wearing those silly masks by now.

“Well, if it is a stalker, it does make sense for us all to be together.” Noto suggested, “We’ll come over to Ami-chan’s house with you guys.”

“Thanks, Noto-kun.” the taller model said to the shorter, sandy haired boy, “I feel safer already.”

They were an interesting procession from the school. Ami was taking a turn pushing Nanako’s wheelchair in the front. Hisako, Maya, and Noto were not far behind. Ryuuji was behind them on his cell phone, and finally, Yasuko was pushing Yuri in her wheelchair.

.

“How were the kids today?” Yasuko asked Yuri as she guided the wheelchair down the street.

“They were good.” Yuri said, “After Nanako-chan’s confession yesterday, I thought it might be troublesome, but they behaved themselves all day.”

“That’s good.” Yasuko could tell that something was bothering her teacher friend though, “Are you missing the Major?”

“Always… why do you ask?” Yuri asked.

“You seem like something is bothering you.” Yasuko told her.

“I just…” Yuri pouted, “I can walk now and I just don’t feel like someone has to push me in a wheelchair any more.”

“This is the deal we made with the doctor.” Yasuko reminded her red head friend firmly, “You can walk to school in the morning if you use the wheelchair for balance and you don’t carry anything, but in the evening when you’re tired…”

“… I have to ride in the wheelchair.” Yuri admitted grumpily.

“Or…” Yasuko teased Yuri.

“Or Ryuuji will carry me… again.” Yuri grudgingly accepted.

“Oh I still remember what a wonderful sight it was to see my big strong boy carrying you in his arms.” Yasuko teased her friend while she fondly reminisced, “As I recall, neither one of you had many clothes on in that hotel bedroom…”

“AH!” Yuri cried out as her face radiated a spectacular shade of red, “Onee-chan stop! You’re going to kill me!”

.

Yuri was still remembering Yasuko’s taunting a few hours later when Ryuuji was setting dinner out on the table. Because of that recent memory, Ryuuji’s next question seemed to hit a raw nerve in her.

“Yuri-sensei, do you have plans for this Saturday after school?” Ryuuji asked.

“Wh… what?” his flustered teacher spluttered, “Why would you ask me that?”

“Obviously, he wants to take you out on a date.” Hisako chimed in.

“EH!” both Yuri and Ryuuji looked shocked.

“No no no no!” Ryuuji quickly explained, “I got a call from the agency on the way home. They want the Red Black & Blue team to do a voice test so I need Yasuko and Yuri-sensei to come with us so Suzume-chan can be there.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Yuri was ashamed that her mind went straight to something embarrassing when Ryuuji turned out to have a perfectly sensible reason for having asked that question.

“Yuri-sensei,” Hisako asked innocently, “why are you blushing?”

“You and Onee-chan tease me too much.” Yuri pouted.

“We only tease you because you’re so cute when you’re blushing.” Hisako said as she and Yasuko both reached over and patted Yuri’s head.

“Good news,” Ami said as she came back into the dining room, “I just got off the phone with Umeko-chan and Suzume-chan. Since Yuri-sensei and Onee-chan will both be there, Suzume-chan can make it. She’ll be staying over and going home on Sunday.”

Hisako left the room with her cell phone while everyone was celebrating Ami’s news. After a few jabs at the keys, her phone was calling Maya.

“Hello?” Maya answered.

“Hello Maya, it’s Hisako…” Hisako was interrupted by Maya.

“Hisako! Did something happen? Is Nanako okay?” Hisako frowned at her phone and decided to play with the jumpy teenager.

“Yes, Noto is here.” Hisako said conversationally, “He yelled something about making him a man, ripped off all of his clothes, and threw himself at me. I have him tied to the headboard now and thought I’d call you and find out if Noto has any food allergies that you might be aware of?”

“Huh?” Hisako could hear the confusion from the other end of the phone call, “No, he doesn’t have any food allergies… WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?”

“Calm down Maya-chan.” Hisako could hear Maya taking deep breaths.

“Noto’s not even there, is he?” Maya finally asked.

“No, he is not.” Hisako admitted.

“Why…” Maya took another deep breath before she continued, “why do you say things like that to me?”

“Why do you always assume something tragic has happened to Nanako whenever I call you?” Hisako countered.

“You’re…” Maya thought about it. Hisako may be right. “You’re right and I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m always so worried about her and I know you’re taking care of her so… I just assume that when you are calling me it’s about Nanako.”

“Hmmpf!” Hisako had to laugh at the coincidence, “As it happens, I am calling about Nanako, but it is nothing bad. I was wondering if you would be interested in taking care of Nanako after school this Saturday until the rest of us get back from a modeling thing.”

“Yes!” Maya answered happily. “I can do that, It’s not a problem at all!”

“Great, I’ll let her know.” Hisako told the happy girl, “Gotta hang up now, I need to go untie Noto-kun. See ya!” Click. Hisako smiled at the phone and wondered if Maya had heard that last bit.

.

**Friday late morning, September 11 – High School**

* * *

There was just an hour left to go before lunch in classroom 3-C. Yuri was covering something called ‘split infinitives’ for the class since it was something most of the students had a problem with on their last English test. Hisako was standing in the back corner of the room looking out the windows when she noticed the movement. Someone was at that place again. She couldn’t get a very good look at whoever it was from this distance, but she could see that someone was definitely there.

Without drawing too much attention to herself, she slipped out the back door of the classroom and headed for the administration building. Hisako flew down the stairs and into the hallway on the ground floor.

“Hey, no running in the halls!” a mans voice boomed out as she came out of the stairwell. Hisako recognized the voice.

“Coach!” she cried out as she ran toward him, “The stalker is back at that spot. If you go this way and I go around the administration building, we might catch him.”

“Right!” the coach said as he turned on his heel and took off at a run through the empty hallway.

 _Gotta give him credit, he doesn’t dither around with decisions._ He was fast too. She saw him moving across the courtyard when she cleared the back side of the administration building. As fast as they were, the spot was deserted by the time they got there.

“Are you sure you saw someone here?” the coach panted.

“Yeah…” Hisako saw something new in the litter. Using a stick, she snagged the strap and lifted the leather pouch from the ground. There was gold lettering on the side of the leather pouch. “Shrubnell huh?” Hisako smiled, “Whoever this stalker is, they have a nice set of binoculars.”

“Dammit!” the coach exclaimed.

“Sorry coach, maybe we’ll get him next time.” Hisako said as she handed the binocular case over to the coach.

“Oh, its not that.” the coach moaned, “You’re tall and move like a gazelle. I could use you in volleyball, basketball, or track. Why can’t you be fifteen or sixteen?”

“Honestly coach,” Hisako slapped him on the back and admitted, “If I could go to this high school, I wouldn’t mind going back to being a teenager.”

.

When school was out for the day and everyone was ready to walk home, Ami and Yuri noticed that Yasuko looked upset. Everyone else took their cue's from Ami and Yuri and gathered around the two wheelchairs.

“Onee-chan, what’s wrong?” Yuri asked as she sat into the wheelchair that Yasuko would be pushing.

“I got a phone call from Aiko-chan's mother today.” Yasuko told them, “Poor little Aiko-chan is still being picked on at school and doesn't even want to go anymore. She cries and is sad all the time.”

“Maybe we could visit her at her school?” Nanako suggested.

“The school might not let us.” Yuri said. “We are her friends but we’re not family and they do have strict visitation rules at grade schools.”

“I think what she needs is a change of venue.” Hisako suggested.

“Huh?” Yasuko was confused.

“An excellent idea!” Ami agreed.

“What?” Yasuko asked.

“We can certainly talk it over with her mother.” Ryuuji said.

“How does changing the menu help Aiko-chan?” Yasuko demanded.

“ _Venue_ ,” Ryuuji corrected his mother, “Aiko-chan is being unfairly judged by her peers at the school where she goes now.”

“It’s difficult to change the attitudes of the kids, so we change the school.” Hisako continued.

“New school means new kids and Aiko-chan gets a fresh start.” Noto explained.

“So you want to send Aiko-chan away?” Yasuko seemed almost in tears at the idea.

“Not exactly.” Ami smiled, “She would need to change schools if she moved in with us, you know.”

“What?” all of Yasuko’s sadness seemed to evaporate at the suggestion, “Ami-chan, are you sure? I mean… I don’t mind if she stays in the room with Yuri and me.”

“She could move into my room in a couple of weeks when I’m gone.” Hisako offered. Everyone turned and looked at her as if they had suddenly noticed she was wearing antlers.

“What do you mean… when you’re gone?” Ami asked her raven haired friend.

“Well… I looked at the schedules and both Yuri-sensei and Nanako-chan will be done with their outpatient requirement by the twentieth.” Hisako reminded everyone of the convalescence schedule and said, “Ryuuji-sama only asked me to stay through the end of September to help out with Nanako-chan and Yuri-san. So, I figured I would be moving out since there wouldn’t be anyone to take care of…”

“Excuse me?” Ami looked at Hisako with a mock glare, “My best friend is telling me she is going to run out on me right before my wedding? Is that what I’m hearing?”

“No, Ami-chan… I would never…” Hisako suddenly realized what this all meant. “You’re saying… I can stay?”

“I’m saying, I want you to stay.” Ami told her as she took her friend’s hands.

“I want you to stay too.” Ryuuji added as he moved up behind her and put his hands on Hisako’s shoulders.

“Me too, Hisako-chan!” Yasuko hugged the taller girl.

Hisako felt a tug on her shirt and looked down at the wheelchair in front of her.

“Please stay.” Nanako smiled up at Hisako.

“All right then!” Hisako changed subject in an effort to stave off the tears that felt like they were coming, “Now that that’s settled, what are we going to do about this rescue plan for Aiko-chan?”

Ryuuji pushed Yuri’s wheelchair so Yasuko and Ami could talk on the phone with Aiko-chan’s mother. The phone was passed back and forth several times and even Yuri had a chat with the little girl’s mother. When they finally hung up the phone, Yasuko was smiling.

“Well?” several voices chorused.

“Aiko-chan’s family lives in an apartment, so moving will not be a problem. But, she doesn’t think it will be any time soon.” Yasuko told then, “Aiko-chan's father may be getting out of the hospital in about a week, but he was badly weakened and will take some time to recover. So, she will let us take Aiko-chan now and get her enrolled in a local school.” There was a pause where everyone seemed afraid to say something.

“How soon…” Nanako spoke up from her wheelchair, “How soon can we get her?”

“Right now…” Yasuko looked around at the rest of the group but ended up on Ami, “if that’s what we really want.”

“Let’s fly!” Ami said and took off running for the house.

“Yes!” Hisako tilted Nanako’s wheelchair back so it was running on only the big wheels and took off at a run to follow Ami.

“Ryuuji, you’re not going to…” suddenly Yuri was tilted back and her wheelchair was flying down the street as fast as Ryuuji could make it go. Yuri clutched at the arm rests and shrieked, “AIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Everyone else took off at a run as well.

.

**Friday evening, September 11 – Aiko-chan’s apartment**

* * *

Aiko-chan sat on her bed looking out the small window at the sky. She clutched the stuffed animal that Ryuuji had given her at the Obon festival and tried to remember the wonderful times she had with her teen friends and her Onee-chan and Yuri-sensei and Deena-chan and… But it was no use. Even a nine year old knows she can’t live in her memories and she has to eventually face the next day, and the next, and the day after that. She had gone back to her school with hope, but the last several days had been awful. When it was her turn to tell everyone what she did over the summer break, she thought that she might finally make some friends since this time she actually had something interesting to tell them.

She told them all how her whole family got sick but when she was better she got to stay with wonderful and amazing people. The girls were all beautiful – some were even models, and the boys were all heroes. Several of them were very tall like giants and the tallest one was a girl with beautiful blond hair and she could move like a ninja.

Of course, none of them believed a word of it. Even the teacher found her stories hard to believe. By the end of the week, her whole class had gone from calling her ‘the freak’ to calling her ‘the freak-liar’. Since the classes share the playground, the name spread to other classes and even other grades. Only a year before, she had been an energetic little girl that was eager to go to school. Over that year, she had grown faster than anyone else, become taller than everyone else in her grade. Already athletic, she could now run faster and jump higher than anyone else. It was a slight the boys in her grade would not forgive. Her mother had been stunned when she came home from work and found her little girl sobbing. When asked what was wrong, the only thing she would say was, “I don’t want to go to school any more.”

Her mother had been doing things in her room while she was looking out the window. Aiko-chan didn’t pay any attention and only looked at her stuffed animal.

“Aiko-chan?” her mother called for her from the living room.

“Aiko-chan?” her mother called for her again from her doorway. When she still didn’t answer, her mother got stern, “Aiko-chan!”

“Yes, Okasan?” Aiko-chan whimpered.

“You need to get dressed to go out.” her mother told her.

“I don’t want to go out.” Aiko-chan pouted.

“But you’re going to go on a train. You like riding on trains, don’t you?”

“Not anymore.” Aiko-chan recalled that the last train ride took her from Ami’s house back here… here where she had to go to that awful school every day.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but I won’t make you go if you don’t want to.” a man’s voice said. A familiar man’s voice. Aiko-chan’s eyes started to open wide. “Your Onee-chan sure will be disappointed that you didn’t want to come and visit her.”

“Ryuuji-sama?” Aiko-chan chirped as she spun around, “Ryuuji-sama!” The little girl ran across her bed and into the arms of the sinister looking teen. To the nine year old he wasn’t sinister though; he was wonderful, he was her Ryuuji-sama, and best of all – he was here!

“Are you really here?” Aiko-chan started crying again but this time they were happy tears. “Am I really going to visit? How long do I get to stay?” Sudden fear gripped her as she realized that she had a half day of school on Saturday. “You’re not bringing me back tonight are you?”

“Shhhhh.” Ryuuji put a finger to the little girl’s lips. Then he handed her down to Hisako, who was already sitting on Aiko-chan’s bed.

Hisako sat the excited little girl in her lap and told her, “Aiko-chan, Listen to everything that Ami-chan has to say.”

Ami was standing next to Aiko-chan’s mother but she knelt so that she was at the same level as the little girl. Reaching out to hold the small hands, Ami smiled and said, “Aiko-chan, your mother and I have talked and, if it’s okay with you, we would like you to live at my house for a while.”

“Really?” the girl was ecstatic, “Yes, I want to! For how long?”

“It might be for a couple of months.” Ami told her, “You will be going to a new school and making new friends.”

“Bwaaaaaaa…” It was all too much for Aiko-chan. Her whole face dissolved into sobs and tears. It was more than she had ever dared hope for. This was beyond her imagination and better than her dreams. She would never have to go to that horrid school again, never have to hear the mean names they all called her. She wanted to thank Ryuuji-sama and Ami-chan for inviting her to stay with them and she wanted to thank her mother for letting her do this. She wanted to thank her friends for being so wonderful to her. But she couldn’t hold back the sobs long enough to get the words out.

The teens and adults in the room were horrified at the degree of grief and relief they were seeing from this child. They had all been around her enough to know that she may be very enthusiastic, but they had never thought of her as a drama queen. She had told them all that she had been having a bad time at school but none of them had anticipated the outpouring of emotion they were seeing now. All of them wondered how bad the mental abuse and bullying must have been for this sweet little girl.

“I knew she was having a hard time at her school with the other kids,” her mother was distressed over this show of emotion from her normally reserved child, “I had no idea… It must have been awful.”

“I think we all may have underestimated…” Ryuuji was starting to get angry. He had lived through the same thing but he was a boy and boys were supposed to be tough. That’s what he had always told himself when he was the only one with no friends. His mother always loved him and that was enough because he was tough. But girls… girls are delicate and precious. Bullying a girl should be unforgivable. He never imagined that bullying could be so bad against a girl. And because he couldn’t imagine it, he didn’t see it. _I’m the worst. I should have seen her pain._

“I’m a terrible parent.” Aiko-chan’s mother started to cry too.

“No!” Ryuuji turned on the crying mother, grasped her shoulders until she looked up at him, and told her, “You see this face? I’ve had it since I was a child. Because of this evil looking face, I never had a single friend until I was in high school. If anyone should have noticed, it should have been me.”

“But…”

“No,” Ryuuji wouldn’t let her argue, “your daughter is courageous and brave, and she loves you. Whatever she endured at school, she hid it from you because she didn’t want you to feel sad.”

“Thank you… Ryuuji-sama.” Although the scary young man had been introduced as _Takasu-san_ , she used the name that she had heard her daughter use for him. It seemed appropriate for someone that had just absolved her of her sins.

.

**Saturday late morning, September 12 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Yasuko and Aiko-chan left the house early enough that they could take their time pushing the empty wheelchairs up to the high school.

“I’m going to see the high school they all go to?” Aiko-chan sounded thrilled.

“Yes, but only from the gates.” Yasuko told her.

“Awwww.” Aiko-chan was disappointed.

“To go inside we would need special permission.” Yasuko thought about it, “But we can go there during the Cultural Festival at the end of next month. That will be like, so much fun! Do you want to go with me?”

“Yes!” Aiko-chan liked the sound of that. Going to the Obon festival with all her friends had been a lot of fun.

They heard the dismissal bell ring just as they made it to the entrance of the school.

“Here we are, just in time.” Yasuko cheered.

“That’s their school?” Aiko-chan pointed, “It’s huge!”

“All right, we’re going to need to move pretty fast when they get out here so remember to hold onto my hand.”

Aiko-chan was so eager to see her friends again, she didn’t notice how many people were doing double-takes or even stopping and staring at the Taiga look-alike at the front gate of the school. Several of them even stopped for a moment to take a picture with their cell phones.

“Maya-chan! Maya-chan! Maya-chan!” Aiko-chan started shouting when she saw the familiar teen. Aiko-chan had an affinity for the dark orange haired girl. Other than the sleeping Nanako, Maya and Hisako had been the first of the group that she had met and they had quickly befriended her. As soon as the saw the others, she cried out to them too, “Nanako-chan! Noto-kun! Dude-san!”

“Dude-san?” Haruta asked the girl getting a hug from Maya, “Did you just call me _Dude-san_?”

“Sorry,” Aiko-chan squeaked under the hug she was getting from Nanako, “I can’t remember your name, but you say _dude_ a lot.”

“Aiko-chan,” Noto smiled and started to correct the young girl, “his name is…”

“That’s okay.” Haruta smiled and said, “Aiko-chan can call me _Dude-san_ if she wants to. I kinda like it.”

Although they had all left the classroom at the same time, Noto, Maya, Haruta, and Nanako got to the gates first. Noto looked around at all the attention that Aiko-chan was getting from the other students as they drew near.

 _Oh boy, we’re going to have some explaining to do_ _on_ _Monday!_ As the others got Nanako in one of the wheelchairs, Noto explained to Yasuko , “Takasu-kun’s group was delayed a little bit. Yuri-sensei’s leg is bothering her and she wasn’t able to move very quickly.”

“Does she need help?” Yasuko asked.

“No,” Noto grinned, “Takasu-kun is taking care of her.”

After the four teenagers finished greeting Aiko-chan, they hurried off to the Sudoh-Bucks where they would be meeting Haruta’s fiancé.

“Bye bye!” Yasuko called after them, “We’ll see you when we get back from the studio!”

As they waved to the four departing teens, they realized that they heard Yuri-sensei’s voice crying out behind them.

“No Ryuuji! You can’t do this! Not here! Oh no, this is so embarrassing!” Even before they could see her, Yuri’s voice could be heard getting closer.

Aiko-chan was laughing hysterically as she caught sight of Ryuuji running across the campus with his teacher in a princess carry. She wasn’t the only one laughing. Yasuko was laughing right beside her and dozens of students in the courtyard were laughing too. To Yuri’s chagrin, many students were taking pictures with their cell phones at the humorous sight.

“Hey Takasu!” someone yelled, “That’s not how you’re supposed to do your homework!” The laughter turned into a roar.

“Someone call the Disciplinary Committee, that guy’s stealing a teacher!” someone else shouted. There was more laughter and Yuri’s embarrassment deepened.

“Sensei,” Ryuuji said as he got to the gate and lowered his teacher into the remaining wheelchair, “I’ve got good news for you.”

“I’m not talking to you, Takasu-kun!” a fiercely blushing Yuri pouted.

“I think you’re lighter than you used to be.” Ryuuji said as he tilted the wheelchair back and started to run for the train station.

“Really?” Yuri’s frown disappeared as she forgot that she wasn’t talking to Ryuuji. Then her fear kicked in and she clutched at the armrests as Ryuuji tilted her back and piloted her wheelchair in another mad dash down the street.

Ryuuji was amazed that all seemed to be forgiven by just telling sensei she seemed lighter. Turning to Ami he mouthed a _thank you_ for the advice. She just smiled knowingly in response.

It wasn’t an all-out run, but it was a pretty good jog they settled into as they headed for the train station. Yasuko took a turn pushing the wheelchair after they finished the biggest hill. Hisako offered to take a turn at pushing the wheelchair, but Ryuuji didn’t want her physically strained any more than necessary before the voice test.

“Suzume-senpai!” the happy Aiko-chan squealed when she saw the tall red headed model waiting on the steps at the train station. She had obviously come straight from school as well. She was wearing her middle school uniform and still had her book bag.

“Aiko-chan! Ryuuji-sama!” Suzume hugged the grade schooler and greeted everyone else.

“You’re already here?” Ryuuji asked. He thought they would beat the arrival of her train.

“I couldn’t wait to see you guys! I left school a little earlier than planned and took the Express Bullet Train.” Suzume admitted. “I’m sorry if I didn’t follow the plan you gave me, Ryuuji-sama.” she bowed apologetically.

“You did good,” Ryuuji told her as he patted her head. “I was worried about making it to the studio in time but we can take an earlier train since you’re already here.”

Unseen by Ryuuji, Suzume was blushing the color of her red hair. She was still blushing a few minutes later when they boarded the local train that would take them to the studio that Ami’s agency had arranged for them.

“Tsk tsk,” Ami said quietly as she sidled up next to Suzume, “what would your sister say?”

“Huh?” Suzume squeaked.

“She lets you out of her sights a couple of times and you start crushing on a high school boy.” Ami smirked.

“Uh…” Suzume felt panicky. She felt as if Ami’s words penetrated her like an arrow.

“A high school boy that’s already engaged to someone at that.” Ami said as she looked at her fingernails.

Ami’s words felt like another arrow that went right into her chest. Staggering, Suzume put her hands on Ami’s shoulders and begged, “Help me, Ami-senpai!”

“You do know that you’re asking for help from the person he is engaged to, right?” Ami pointed out.

“Eep!” A whole quiver of arrows went into the red head. Lowering her head, she admitted, “I really am the worst.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ami laughed, “you’re not the first and you won’t be the last that falls for the Takasu charm. You know what’s really amazing though?”

“What?” Suzume thought of one amazing thing herself. The fact that Ami knew she was crushing on Ryuuji and wasn’t upset with her. To Suzume, that was pretty amazing.

“He doesn’t know he’s doing it.” Ami explained, “And if you told him how charming or amazing he is, he wouldn’t believe you.”

 _Groa_ _nnnnn_ _n._ “I wish you hadn’t told me that.” Suzume moaned, “I’m just crushing on him more now.”

“I know, right!” Ami said with a smile.

“What?” Suzume looked at Ami incredulously, “Are you _trying_ to wreck my heart?”

“Sorry, I guess that really wasn’t fair.” Ami admitted, but it didn’t stop her from chuckling a little.

“At least Hisako’s immune.” Suzume commented.

“Not completely.” Ami said, “You've noticed that she calls him Ryuuji-sama.”

“But… I thought she liked girls.” Suzume asked.

“She does.” Ami tried to explain, “I don't think it's romantic love but… I'm not sure how to put it.”

“Loyalty,” Suzume remembered a book she had recently read that compared King Arthur's knights to Japan's samurai, “a strong sense of devotion to him as her… leader?”

“Yeah,” Ami's eyes opened, “that's it exactly.”

“Wow.” Suzume commented.

“I know, right?” Ami joined Suzume in gazing at Ryuuji while he was in conversation with the others. Ami and Suzume watched as Yasuko, Hisako, and Yuri seemed to cling to his every word. Aiko-chan was sitting on Hisako’s lap and watching the scenery passing outside the train windows. Her love for riding on trains was back and it looked like she was the only one to find something more interesting than Ryuuji at the moment.

.

**Saturday afternoon, September 12 – Recording studio**

* * *

“This is a recording studio?” Suzume was unimpressed. She didn't know what she was expecting but it was more than this.

“The main studio is across the street,” an employee told her, “this is a smaller annex that just does voice tests.”

“Oh,” Suzume felt a little better but she had been looking forward to a real professional recording studio like she had seen on television shows and in magazines.

Ryuuji could smell molds, mildews, dust and the stench of something rotting. He had not stumbled into anything this horrible since… Taiga’s apartment. He started thinking of what he would need to get this place clean when he felt a hand on his arm. Ami knew what he was thinking but she was shaking her head ‘no’ as he looked at her. He knew what she was trying to say. _You are not here to clean. Today your responsibilities are to us… to the girls._

“Don't worry,” Ryuuji told Suzume and the others, “they have everything they need to do the voice tests here.” Ryuuji didn't know enough about the recording business to know if that was true or not, but the person from Ami's agency had assured him several times, that this was the best place in the area. Ryuuji started to understand why they had been so pushy on that point, he had to admit that the place just didn't look much. The lounge area used wooden box crates for chairs. Sure, there were a few cushions but they were old and so flat that they were barely different from the wooden crates they were scattered on. Yasuko noticed that the place smelled like one of the clubs she used to work in. It was how the club smelled after a long night of partying and before anything was cleaned up. She hadn't worked in any of those places in a while and she found the smell to be offensive, even if it was a little nostalgic. She wondered how the others could stand it though.

“Onee-chan!” Aiko-chan was pulling her honorary big sister back toward the door, “I can't take it any more. It smells worse than the public bathroom at the park!”

This was the last straw for Ryuuji. He had made excuses for this place long enough, “We're leaving.” he announced.

“But?” the studio employee was showing him some paper with a signature on it, but Ryuuji didn't care.

“I don't know what the agency agreed to, but we have two minors with us and this place doesn't look or smell like the kind of place where children should be allowed.”

“Now listen here!” the employee seemed indignant, but that wasn't stopping Ryuuji from moving everyone to the exit.

“No, you listen,” Yuri pulled out her phone and took a few pictures of the place while she said, “Mr. Manager is correct. I’m a licensed school teacher. I’ll be letting the agency know what kind of place this is and that it is not suitable for anyone of school age to be here.”

The employee was on the phone as they all walked out of the awful smelling dump of a place.

“Now what do we do?” Ami wasn’t upset with Ryuuji for making that call. She could probably have put up with it but she had to agree that she didn’t like the idea of taking Suzume or Aiko-chan in there. She was a bit disappointed that they had come all this way and wouldn’t be getting anything accomplished after all.

“I’ll let your agency know it was my responsibility.” Ryuuji sounded apologetic as he pulled out his cell phone.

“You made the right call, Ryuuji-kun.” Yuri was back in her wheelchair but she was adamant that Ryuuji had done nothing wrong.

“Hey! Kawashima party!” A voice called from across the busy street, “Stay right there, I’ll come to you!”

The man was wearing a hoodie top and blue jeans in this hot weather. He was dressed like he could be a thug, but he acted like a professional… of some kind. The group watched as he ran down his side of the street to a pedestrian bridge, and then back up their side of the street. By the time he got up to them he was quite out of breath.

“I’m a sound engineer in the main studio building.” he panted, “Please accept my apologies for the misunderstanding.” They thought he was then bowing, but he was bending over and had his hand on his knees while he was still puffing to catch his breath. “Woooo, I didn’t realize I was so out of shape.” After a few more pants he continued, “As it happens, I have a cancellation in the studio I was going to be running today. I could take you over to the main building if you’d like to see if it is acceptable there?”

“I’m Kawashima Ami,” she introduced herself, “and this is our manager, Takasu-san. The decision is his.” Ami turned away from the skinny man as if she had better things to do and walked over to where Yasuko stood behind Yuri’s wheelchair.

“Takasu-san, please call me Kazuo or Kazuo-san.” he bowed to the sinister, and extremely displeased looking manager. _What the hell? Did these girls hire a murderer to be their manager? Ye gods, please don’t let me piss this guy off!_

“Kazuo-san,” Ryuuji could see the guy was nervous, but he thought it was because of the abysmal state customers had just found his facility in. “We can take a look, but if it is as filthy as this ‘annex’ I won’t ask the girls to step inside.”

“Huh?” Kazuo sounded confused. The hurried phone call he got from the attendant in the annex said a bunch of self-important people were making a fuss over there. The attendant said that they were rude and said that they were going to complain about the annex. “Can you give me a minute? I’d like to see the annex for myself.”

“Sure.” Ryuuji watched Kazuo go into the studio entrance they had all just come out of. He thought it might take a while and he was about to head over to where the others were gathered around Yuri in the wheelchair. Before he could take a step, Kazuo came out of the same door looking terribly embarrassed.

“Please, Takasu-san!” the sound engineer was bowing again, “Look at my studio. I promise you that it is not like the annex.”

“Oh… okay.”

.

Ryuuji was impressed. It was as if the main studio was a completely different company. It was certainly a different environment. The lobby was clean and had comfortable chairs and couches. There was even a machine that dispensed warm herbal and licorice teas. The recording area was big enough for a whole band, instead of the upright-coffin-with-a-window that the annex seemed to be proud of. The engineer’s control room had enough space for everyone else to watch as the girls were put through their paces one at a time.

At first, everyone was standing behind the engineer and watching through the big window as first Ami, then Hisako was given different things to sing or sometimes just speak. Gradually, it became boring and some of them sat at the bench seat at the back of the control room while others waited out in the lobby. Ryuuji thought that, since they were calling him their manager, it was important to stay with the engineer and watch everything. By the time Suzume was almost finished, Ryuuji and Kazuo were the only ones left in the control room… awake anyway. Yuri was laying down on the long padded bench seat. It had been a long day for her body was still recovering from the broken leg. No-one blamed her for ‘crashing on the couch.’

“What do you think?” Ryuuji asked Kazuo.

“For these voice tests, I’m only supposed to get the recordings and send them back to the agency…” Kazuo was telling Ryuuji as he also concentrated on capturing Suzume’s voice.

“You do this all the time, right?” Ryuuji asked.

“Day in and day out.” Kazuo chuckled.

“That’s why I don’t want to wait for someone from the agency.” Ryuuji folded his arms and looked down at the seated engineer, “I want to know what _you_ think.”

“Well, that’s not something…” Kazuo was starting do decline when he looked up and saw Ryuuji’s murderous glare. _Crap, he’s going to kill me!_ Kazuo changed his mind and decided to answer the questions. _I mean, he is their manager after all, right? It should be okay._ After clearing his throat, he said, “I’ll be brutally honest if you want.”

“Please do.” Ryuuji said, “This was the agency’s idea but I don’t want them wasting their time on this unless there is a good reason.”

“Okay,” Kazuo said seriously, “They’re okay, but I haven’t heard anything yet that has made me excited. Although…” Kazuo though about the quality of their voices, “if you have the time for it, I would like to try them together.”

“Sure,” Ryuuji offered, “You want me to go get the other two now?”

“Not yet,” Kazuo said, “Suzume-chan needs a chance to rest her voice before we try the group test. Let’s try the little one next.”

“Aiko-chan?” Ryuuji was surprised.

“Sure,” it will kill some time and give me a chance to play with some different ranges.”

“Okay.” Ryuuji waited for Suzume to come out of the studio’s ‘live room’ and walked her back to the lobby while Kazuo set the room up for Aiko-chan.

“I know I didn’t do to well in there.” Suzume sounded disappointed.

“So?” Ryuuji said, “If a singer suddenly decided to try modeling, you think she would nail it on the first try?” He put his hand on her shoulder and told her, “You did okay in there.”

“Thanks, Ryuuji-sama.” Suzume put her head on Ryuuji’s shoulder and smiled… just as they came out into the lobby.

Hisako was laughing into her hand and Ami had a bent smile and an arched eyebrow as they both looked at Suzume leaning on Ryuuji. Their mirthfully curious expressions finally got through to Suzume.

“AH!” Suzume jumped away from Ryuuji as if she had just seen a spider. She started to apologize, “I didn’t mean to…”

Ami and Hisako burst out laughing. They couldn’t hold it any longer. Even Yasuko and Aiko-chan were laughing at the embarrassed teen.

“Are we done now?” Yasuko asked while Ami and Hisako were still calming down and Suzume was waiting for her blush to fade away.

“Not yet,” Ryuuji turned to Aiko-chan, “it’s Aiko-chan’s turn now. After she is done, he wants to do a group session with Ami, Hisako, and Suzume.”

“I get to sing too?” Aiko-chan sounded thrilled.

“Yes, but this time you won’t just sing anything or any way you want. The engineer will tell you exactly what he wants you to do and you need to follow his instructions, okay?”

“I’ll do my best!” Aiko-chan promised.

.

“Wow.” Kazuo said after only a minute of listening. Turning on his own microphone, he told Aiko-chan, “You can stop now sweetie.”

“What’s wrong?” Ryuuji was concerned. Kazuo hadn’t stopped the others.

“I need to change out the microphone.” Kazuo explained, “This kid has some power and is in a higher range. The Neumann will be a better match for her.”

Moments later, Aiko-chan was singing again and the smile on the engineer’s face told Ryuuji there was something there that he liked.

“Well?” Ryuuji wanted to know what was making the engineer smile.

“You’ve got something here.” Kazuo told Ryuuji as Aiko-chan was coming out of the live room, “She’s got good power, good control, and good range for her age. She needs a little voice training and yeah… you’ve really got something there.”

Ryuuji wondered if it was something Aiko-chan’s parents would allow. After all, she was still very young. “Do me a favor and don’t mention that to her.” Ryuuji asked, “I want to make sure her parents are okay with it before we get her hopes up.”

“You’re the manager.” Kazuo said, “You get the others on their way and I’ll prep the room for them.”

“Okay,” Ryuuji was turning to meet Aiko-chan when he found himself suddenly catching a very energetic airborne nine year old.

“Ryuuji-sama that was fun!” she squealed, “Did I do good?”

“You did great!” Ryuuji noticed that Yuri was awake on the bench at the back of the room now and suggested, “Why don’t you go get the girls for me now. And bring back an herbal tea for Yuri-sensei.”

“Okay!” Aiko-chan ran from the room leaving Ryuuji alone with Yuri.

“You made the right decision,” Yuri said after Aiko-chan had left the room. “Voice training can be expensive and a real grind. Her parents may not be ready for that kind of commitment.”

“I didn’t think about the cost.” Ryuuji admitted, “I just didn’t know if her parents would want her getting into something like this at her age.”

“Oh, she hasn’t asked you yet?” Yuri queried.

“Asked me what?” Ryuuji raised an eyebrow.

“She plans to ask you to be her manager too.” Yuri warned him, “She wants to be just like Ami, Hisako, and Suzume.”

“Hmpf…” Ryuuji admitted, “I guess we did kinda plant that idea.”

“We’re back!” Aiko-chan called out as she and Yasuko entered the room. Aiko-chan's little arms were full of drink cans. She took an herbal tea over to Yuri-sensei and gave Ryuuji an herbal tea with honey and she opened a can of licorice tea for herself.

 _Ewww, licorice…_ Ryuuji was about to ask how she could like that stuff but Kazuo was back in his chair and the three models were ready to begin.

There were a few false starts but in only a few minutes, the control room was in stunned silence as they all listened to the sound coming from the monitor speakers.

“Whoa,” Kazuo finally broke the silence in the control room, “they’ve got _that sound_.”

“What do you mean?” Ryuuji asked.

“It’s something you feel more than hear.” Kazuo said, “But you can hear it too. You can feel, hear, and sense the harmony locking in together and you just know…”

“… they’ve got _that sound_.” Yasuko finished the thought.

“Individually, they’re okay, but together…” Ryuuji said.

“… they’re incredible.” Yuri thought the sound was so good, she couldn’t believe her ears.

“Get them a good sound coach and they should be ready for a real session in a month… two tops.” Kazuo told Ryuuji.

.

Aiko-chan was still bouncing with excitement on the train ride home. This time it was her friends that had her interest. She couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful the girls sounded when they sang together. And then it happened, just like Yuri warned Ryuuji it would.

“Ryuuji-sama!” Aiko-chan said as she stood before the seated Ryuuji, “I want you to be my manager too and I want to be just like Ami-senpai, Hisako-senpai, and Suzume-senpai!”

“I need to talk to your parents first.” Ryuuji smiled as he told the beaming girl, “But if it is okay with them…”

“YAY!” Aiko-chan didn’t wait for Ryuuji to finish. She jumped into his arms and hugged him while tears of joy ran down her young face.

.

**Saturday evening, September 12 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

The front door opened and the tired party came spilling in. It wasn’t a _tired to the bone exhausted_ tired like they often were when Yasuko really turned on the workout energy. It was more of a _I_ _want to take a bath, get something to eat, and relax_ kind of tired.

“Why don’t you girls go get a bath. I’ll whip us up something to eat.” Ryuuji was already reaching for his favorite pans.

“Oh, that’s why I love you,” Ami purred, “you always know the right thing to say to a girl.”

She kissed him on the cheek and headed for the big family bath on the ground floor.

“Thank you, Ryu-chan!” Yasuko smiled and followed Ami.

“Thank you, Ryuuji-sama!” Hisako, Suzume, and Aiko-chan said together as they also headed for the big bath.

“Oh, Hisako-chan… a moment?” Ryuuji called after her as he fished out ingredients for the late meal.

“Yes?” Hisako asked.

“Could you see who else is here?” Ryuuji asked without looking up, “Nanako may be sleeping but if anyone else is here, I may need to make more food.”

“Yes, it shouldn’t take long.” Hisako answered with a smile.

Hisako skipped the third floor since the only thing up there was Ami and Ryuuji’s bedroom suite. As expected, the bedroom that Yasuko, Yuri, and Aiko-chan shared, was empty. Walking through the living room toward the bedroom she shared with Nanako, Hisako noticed the large fat envelope full of pictures that Noto had planned to send out the next morning. She picked up the envelope to make sure it was what she thought it was. And it was… _I guess that means he is still here. Surely he isn’t making out with Maya on my bed while Nanako is sleeping in the same room? What a couple of perverts!_

When she opened the door to her room and peered inside, she was a little surprised to see only Maya and Nanako. They were both asleep on Nanako’s bed. Facing each other and holding hands, their faces looked so peaceful. Hisako couldn’t resist the impulse. She raised her phone and took a picture of the two cute girls sleeping like that. The flash from the camera and the synthetic shutter sound woke the sleeping friends up.

“Hey, who’s there?” Maya asked as she rubbed her eyes.

“We’re all back from the studio.” Hisako told them, “Ryuuji is in the kitchen making something to eat and all the girls are downstairs in the family bath.” Then, holding up the thick envelope she asked, “Where is Noto?”

“The boys left some time ago,” Maya told her, “Haruta had a dinner thing with his girlfriend's family and Noto went home.” Her eyes focused on what was in Hisako's hand, “Oh no, the pictures!”

“Maya-chan, will you believe me if I tell you that I'm not making fun of you and I am trying to help?” Hisako arched an eyebrow as she asked the question.

“I don't know,” Maya pouted, “you seem to enjoy picking on me.”

“I'll admit that.” Hisako allowed, “But this is serious.”

“What?” Maya was suddenly paying attention. It wasn't just Hisako's words, but her whole demeanor suggested that she wasn't playing around. “What is it?”

“You're still planning to marry Hisamitsu Noto, right?” Hisako asked.

“Yes.” Maya said.

Nanako looked up too. The conversation was between her two best friends and she hoped that Hisako wasn't just making fun of Maya again.

“From all I've heard, he is going to be a very influential person in a very influential family some day… and you are going to be his wife.” Hisako then asked, “Do you know what that is going to mean for you?”

“Um…” Maya started to get a little scared at the implication.

“It's all about etiquette,” Hisako told her, “and etiquette is about the small things.” Hisako gave Maya a minute to let that sink in. When Maya looked up at Hisako with a curious _so-what_ expression, Hisako told her, “Haruta did not go to a dinner _thing_ , he went to a dinner _engagement_. And he didn't go with his _girlfriend_ , he went with his _fiancé_.”

Maya's mouth opened as if to argue, but she thought about it and looked down. “I just don't know if I can do this.” She felt Hisako's hand on her chin and was soon looking back up into Hisako's eyes. It felt weird to see Hisako smiling at her.

“You can do it.” Hisako sounded certain, “You have friends that can help you and you're going to college with Noto-kun, right?”

“Um… yeah?” Maya answered.

“Most colleges have classes on etiquette.” Hisako's smile broadened, “Some of them even have clubs and associations that focus on the social skills. You'll be fine.”

“Thanks…” Maya felt uncomfortable in that she really appreciated what Hisako was doing for her. And yet… that meant acceptance and that was so hard… She knew Hisako could be the kind of person that was reliable and capable… the kind of person that would make a really good friend. And Maya wanted to be the kind of person that could accept people and have more friends… she knew she would need to be that kind of person if she was truly going to be able to stand at Noto's side. But it was so hard to make herself do it. In the midst of her emotional maelstrom, she felt Nanako's calming touch on her shoulder and felt some of the pressure slip away. “Thank you, Hisako-san.”

“I'm happy to help.” Hisako really was, and it felt great. She liked the person she had become in the last month and she knew it wouldn’t have been possible if not for Ami-chan and Ryuuji-sama. And their family… and their friends… all of them had been so supportive. Well, except for Maya. Maya was her challenge. With her thoughts coming back to Maya, she asked, “Will you be sleeping over tonight?”

“Oh, I don't know…” Maya wanted to, but she thought she might be in the way.

“You should.” Hisako was feeling playful again, “When I get back from dropping these off to Noto-kun, we can fight about who gets to sleep in the same bed with Nanako-chan.”

The jab hit Maya from all directions. She stood up and demanded, “I'll take the pictures to Noto's house! You can stay here and have some quality time with Nanako since I'll be sleeping with her tonight!” Just as the words left her mouth, she realized just how that sounded and she blushed. But, she didn't back down before the taller raven haired girl.

“Oh no,” Hisako smiled, “I'll take the pictures over. There's something I want to discuss with him anyway.” Then in a taunting voice she added, “But I don't mind if you sleep with Nanako-chan tonight. After all, I can sleep with her every night that you're… not… here.”

Maya's blush was starting to be more from anger than embarrassment. She knew there was no way she could force Hisako to do anything. The tall model was bigger, stronger, and faster than Maya and she knew it. Maya also knew she was lucky that Hisako was a more patient person than she herself was. There was no doubt in her mind that Hisako could send Maya through a wall if she became angry enough. The fact that Hisako was so patient with her helped Maya to calm down a little. It didn't used to – she used to think that Hisako didn't get upset because she just didn't consider Maya a threat worth worrying about. But now she knew… in her own way, Hisako was really trying to be Maya's friend. Maya knew that Hisako wasn't getting upset, because she cared about Maya.

“Why don't you both go.” Nanako suggested, “I can have some fun playing with Aiko-chan until you get back and it will give you two a chance to talk.”

“Oh poo.” Hisako said playfully, “And I was planning to kiss Noto-kun and see if he was a better kisser than Ryuuji-sama.”

“You can't just...” Maya suddenly realized something that Hisako had said, “You've kissed Ryuuji?”

“Yes,” Hisako said dreamily, “in a penthouse hotel room in Tokyo. And let me tell you something, Ryuuji-sama is a good kisser!”

 _I don't believe you._ Maya wanted to say. But there was something about the way she was saying it that made Maya believe that it might have happened. She wondered if Ami knew about it.

“Oh I know!” Hisako sounded inspired, “We can both kiss Noto-kun and he can decide which of us is the better kisser! How does that sound?”

Maya slowly unclenched her fists and took a deep breath. She knew she was being played with and if she gave the reaction she wanted to, she would be giving Hisako exactly what she wanted. With determination, she looked Hisako in the eyes and said, “Fine, we can both go. But there will be no kissing contest.”

Hisako regarded Maya with her arched eyebrow. She was impressed that Maya had been able to control herself after the kissing barb. _Very good Maya-chan. For someone that hates change as much as you do, you are doing remarkably well. Let's see what surprises you have in store for me on this pleasant little walk._

.

**Saturday evening, September 12 – Hisamitsu residence (Noriko's home)**

* * *

The full length mirror in Noriko’s bedroom faced the wall. Unless she was dressed in one of her prized Noto costumes, that mirror was not her friend. Only when she could look in the mirror and see Noto, could the mirror be her friend. Since she was wearing nothing at the moment, it couldn’t show her an image of her beloved Noto, so it was definitely not her friend. That was Noriko's reasoning for why the mirror was currently turned to face the wall.

The mirror would be her friend soon though. Noriko was alone in the house again this evening and she had already picked out three of her favorite Noto outfits to play with. She ran her hand over the thicker fabric of the black shirt that went with his winter uniform. As she felt the stiffness of the Nehru collar and the starch in the carefully pressed shirt, she smiled. This was her favorite, but it wasn’t October yet so she would have to settle for the rather simple looking summer uniform. But first, the special underwear.

Noriko struggled into the tight fitting girdle that would pull her hips in and allow her to look more boyish when she put on the school pants. It was quite the struggle to get into them, but the effect was worth it. Next came the nude colored binding bra. It was designed to match her skin color and hold her breasts as flat to her chest as possible. The nude color of the specialized underwear was a necessity with the summer uniform. With that white cotton shirt, it would be easy so see a bra underneath and Noto would never wear a bra! She looked down at herself and sighed at her diminished femininity. “Oh Noto, why do you make me do this? Once you are mine, I will never have to do this again. I will be all girl for you… all the girl you will ever need.”

Just as she was about to reach for the black school trousers, her cell phone rang. She didn’t bother looking at the screen because she didn’t really care who was calling. She would take a short message and tell them she was busy so she could get back to her fun.

“Hello?” she said pleasantly enough.

“Noriko-chan?” the familiar voice called out to her.

“Oh, Shinako-san,” Noriko smiled, “Do you have good news for me?”

“I’m afraid not.” Shinako didn’t sound as if she was personally upset about delivering this news, “I have just come from a family meeting with Obasama and a decision has been made. Many family members have met Maya-chan and she has been interviewed several times. All of their reports were presented at the family meeting. It is decided that there is nothing wrong with allowing Kihara Maya to marry into the family. Do you understand, Noriko-chan?”

“Yes, I understand.” Noriko’s voice sounded normal, but her hand was holding the cell phone so tight that her knuckles were turning white.

“There is one other thing that I have been told to relay to you.” Shinako sounded firm as she said, “Noriko-chan, you will put an end to your objections… immediately. Do you understand?”

“Of course.” Noriko said, “I guess I was over-reacting. If the family found nothing wrong with… her, I’ll just let it drop.”

“Are you sure, Noriko-chan?” Shinako felt an unease but there was nothing in her cousin’s voice that sounded worrisome. “I thought you might take this pretty hard. I am willing to get you on the next bullet train back to your University in Hokkaido if you want to get away.”

“That won’t be necessary, Shinako-san.” Noriko assured her older cousin, “I will, as you say, put an end to my objections, then there will be no more problems.”

“Just like that?” Shinako sounded skeptical.

“Just like that.” Noriko assured her again. She continued smiling as she said the words, despite the tears running down her face.

“Well then, have a good night. I must go as I have other errands to complete.” Shinako said.

“Sayounara, Shinako-san.” Noriko waited until the screen showed that the call was dead.

Her smile was instantly gone and her rage hit like a grenade. The cell phone hit the wall and flew into several pieces. She threw a chair at her window. It broke the glass but not the window frame and ended up embedded in the window surrounded by broken glass. That seemed to upset her even more and she savagely kicked at the chair and sent it tumbling away. Looking down, she could see that she had cut herself on one of the shards of glass when she kicked the chair.

Bending down, she looked at the cut. It wasn’t too bad. It was bleeding, but not too much. The black socks that went with the school uniform would hide the cut nicely.

_The uniform._

_Let’s put it on one last time._ She thought as she turned the mirror around. She watched herself as she reached for one uniform item after another. Soon she could see Noto standing in front of her again.

_He is smiling. He is so happy to see me. I just know that he loves me as much as I love him._

“I just know it!” she said aloud as she watched the face in the mirror dissolve into tears.

.

**Saturday evening, September 12 – Sudoh-Bucks**

* * *

Noto had not gone straight home, nor had Haruta gone straight to the dinner engagement. The two friends were heading for the familiar Sudoh-Bucks. Both of them were thinking about the momentous decisions they had recently made. Half way to the Sudoh-Bucks, Noto's cell phone started vibrating. The caller info said it was Shinako-san, so Noto answered it quickly.

“Good evening Shinako-san.” Noto said as he walked the familiar path to the Sudoh-Bucks with Haruta.

“Good evening, Noto-sama. I have some good news for you.” Noto noticed that she did sound a bit excited, “You'll have to forgive me, Noto-sama. In the position I am in, I so rarely get to give people good news that I find myself giddy with excitement.”

“You do sound excited,” Noto chuckled. Her admission made him think about what she did for the family. As the family troubleshooter, she would always be called upon when things weren't going well. Noto was glad that he could give her an opportunity to be a part of something nice for once. “So, what is this good news then?”

“Oh, of course!” Shinako calmed down a bit and told him, “I have just come from a family meeting with Obasama and a decision has been made. The family has decided that there is nothing wrong with allowing Kihara Maya to marry into the family. Also, Noriko has been informed of the decision and she was told to put an end to her objections.”

“That is good news, Shinako-san!” Noto breathed a heavy sigh of relief, “Would you like to join Haruta and his fiancé, and Maya and me for a celebration this evening?”

“Are you inviting me out for drinks, Noto-sama?” Shinako teased.

“Well, we are all still under-aged, so I was thinking of a family restaurant.” Noto suggested.

“That sounds like fun, Noto-sama. I'll see what I can do.” Shinako promised.

“Thank you, Shinako-san.” Noto said as he dropped the call.

“Dude, you're smiling bigger than your face! What happened?” Haruta asked.

“That was Shinako-san. The family has officially sided with Maya-chan!” Noto grinned.

“Sweet!” Haruta fist-pumped and slapped his friend on the back as they entered the coffee shop.

.

As the two friends ordered their drinks, waited for them, and found their favorite seats, they were thinking about the life changing events that they had set in motion and the even bigger changes that would soon be upon them. Noto remembered the day he accidentally asked Maya to marry him in this very coffee shop. If Haruta hadn't tripped him up that day, he wondered if he ever would have found the right time and place to have asked Maya. That thought made him wonder about how Haruta asked his fiancé.

“How did you know it was the right time to ask her?” Noto asked Haruta.

“Ask her what?” Haruta looked puzzled.

“You know… when you asked her to marry you.” Noto specified.

“Oh, that was easy,” Haruta smiled, “my mom came in my room and handed me the box with the rings. She tells me that we're going to dinner with my girlfriend and her family and that I should propose before dinner.”

“What? Wait…” Noto was shocked, “It's an arranged marriage?”

“Yeah.” Haruta took a drink of his coffee, “I thought you knew.”

“How long have you known her?” Noto asked.

“Jeez, I guess about ten years.” Haruta looked thoughtful as he tried to remember when he and his fiancé first met.

“Eh?” Noto had known Haruta at least that long and hadn't heard of this girl until recently.

“Yeah, it was about ten years ago.” Haruta sounded more certain now, “I remember my Okasan brought this little girl over and told me to play with her and be nice because some day I would marry her.”

At first Noto was stunned but then he thought about it. Haruta had always been easy going. He never seemed to have problems around girls. And, except for being a fan of Ami's, never seemed to be pining for romance like so many teenage boys were. Perhaps it was because he already had a girlfriend and knew who he was going to marry from an early age. Then again… maybe that was just Haruta.

“That was pretty amazing that we found the perfect ring for Ami-chan like that.” Haruta was obviously thinking about something more relevant and Noto picked up on that.

“What's bugging you?” Noto asked his old friend.

“It's just…” Haruta shrugged his shoulders, “the ring was just so perfect. It made me think about what I'm doing. I guess.”

“Yeah,” Noto admitted, “I thought about that too. You're using an heirloom ring too, aren't you?”

“Uh huh,” Haruta said, “it's been in the family for a couple of generations. I mean… it's a really pretty ring but…”

“But it doesn't match your fiancé like Takasu-kun's matches Ami-chan.” Noto suggested.

“Right.” Haruta agreed. He was always impressed with the way Noto was able to put things into words so perfectly.

“I've also thought that the blue-white stones in the ring I gave Maya-chan actually matches Nanako-chan better.” Noto took a sip of his latte and wondered, “I wonder if I could swap them out?”

“No way dude, that would be so wrong!” Haruta sounded offended.

“Huh?” Noto put his drink down, “It's no big deal. I doubt anyone would object.”

“What do you mean no one would object?” Haruta was looking almost hysterical, “How could Maya-chan not object? And think of Nanako-chan and Hisako-san… I'm pretty sure they'd be pissed!”

“Eh?” Noto could see his friend was getting pretty worked up about this. Hadn't Haruta just said that he had used an heirloom ring in his proposal as well so surely he should understand… _Wait a minute, what did he just say?_ Noto asked, “Why would Nanako-chan and Hisako-san get upset?”

“Oh come on!” Haruta exclaimed, “You know they're an item, right? If you try to swap out Maya-chan for Nanako-chan because the ring matches her better – Hisako-san will tear you to shreds!”

Noto's mouth fell open. If he had been drinking anything at the moment it would have just been sprayed across the table.

“Haruta…” Noto took a deep breath, “I was talking about swapping out the stones on the ring.”

“Oh.” Haruta thought for a moment and said, “You could do that. I don't think that would upset anyone… Yeah dude, that's a much better idea!” Haruta was smiling again.

“Yeah…” Noto didn't know whether to be angry with Haruta or start laughing at him. Neither would do any good, so he decided to cover his bases, “Let's never mention that first idea again, okay?”

“My lips are sealed, dude!” Haruta promised. “Yo, I need to head out now. I need to get out of this school uniform before I get to the dinner!”

“True,” Noto looked at the state of his own uniform, “I can't believe I've been in this thing all day on a Saturday!”

“Hey, you gonna call Maya-chan? To tell her the good news.” Haruta asked as he headed his own way on the street.

“Not yet.” Noto said, “She was asleep when we left. Besides, maybe I’ll surprise her!”

.

**Saturday evening, September 12 – Hisamitsu residence (Noto's home)**

* * *

Even before Noto got to his house he had an uneasy feeling. It was the feeling that comes from seeing something familiar – something you've seen a thousand times before, inexplicably looking different. Noto tried to figure out what it was that he found unsettling but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. When he got to the gate, it finally hit him. All the lights were out at his house. If no-one was home, it would not be too unusual to see all the windows dark, but Noto's house had outside lights that should always be on after dark. His mother called them accent lights, but his father called them security lights. Noto looked up and down the block and saw that other houses had lights on. _So it's not a power outage… strange._

 _The front door is_ _standing open? Maybe someone is here and the fuse has blown?_ Noto walked up to the porch and stepped through the open door. He tried the light switches for the entryway and porch lights but they didn't work. As his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, he called out, “It's Noto! I'm home now! Is anybody here? What's wrong with the lights? Hello?”

Noto stopped calling out when he realized what he was seeing. At the end of the hallway was a body lying on the floor in what appeared to be a pool of blood. “Maya? MAYA!” Just as he was about to run to the fallen figure, he heard something behind him.

“Noto-kun, what's wrong?” The familiar voice sounded very loving, but only a little concerned.

Noto spun around and saw… himself? _Noriko? What is she doing here?_ Then he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a large kitchen knife sticking out of his chest. He could see his own blood soaking into his white summer uniform shirt around the protruding knife and more blood running down his torso. He could feel himself slipping into shock. His arms and legs stopped working and he fell to his knees.

“Don't worry,” Noriko said as she caught him, “I won't let you hurt yourself.” Noriko slowly lowered Noto to the floor and unfolded his legs so that he could be comfortable. Lying on the floor and looking up at the ornate beams that crossed the living room ceiling, Noto noticed a rope hanging from one of the beams. _No Noriko! What are you doing? You have to stop! You can't do this! NO!_ He wanted to scream for help. Someone needed to come and help the girl in the hall… _Maya?_ He needed help too but someone needed to stop Noriko. _Please, someone help!_ But, try as he might, Noto couldn't seem to get a word out.

Unable to do anything, he watched as Noriko stood by the chair and looked up at the dangling rope noose. Reaching up to the rope, she grasped its firmness as she looked back at Noto and smiled. Keeping her eyes on Noto, she carefully climbed up into the chair and lovingly put the noose around her neck. Closing the noose until the knot was firm against her skin, Noriko looked deep into Noto's eyes and smiled again. “It's okay, we can be together now… now and forever.” she said in a sweet, comforting voice as she kicked the chair away.

The change in Noriko's demeanor was instantaneous. This was not a painless way to die and the full impact of the pain and fear – the instinctual urge to fight to survive, overwhelmed Noriko. Her eyes seemed to bulge out and her hands clawed at her neck as she tried to stop this thing from strangling her. Legs kicked and twisted about as she tried to find something to stand on to alleviate this horrible pain, but she had kicked the chair too far away. She wanted to cry out from the pain, but nothing seemed to be coming out of her throat. _This isn't what I wanted! I wanted to be able to gaze into his beautiful eyes as I died… as we died together. Not like this! No, not like this!_

Noto could see the urgency and the futility of Noriko's struggle. She was frantically clawing at the rope and her fingernails were leaving deep gouges in the skin of her neck and face. She could get her hands on the rope, but she lacked the strength to pull herself up for more than a moment or two… then she was back to frantically struggling and clawing again.

Noto was starting to feel cold. His rational mind was still working to some degree and he wondered if the cold sensation was from blood loss or shock. _Is Maya already dead, or is she dying too? Maybe someone will notice the lights off and the front door open and will come to investigate. Maybe we can still be saved. Oh Noriko… why? How could you do this to Maya… to me? Why didn't you get help when I told you to? Why…_ Noto wondered how the cousin that had been so nice to him for so many years could have turned out like this. Even though she had stabbed him and he would probably die… even though she had probably already killed Maya, he felt sorry for her as he watched her struggle in obvious pain on the rope. Even now, he would help her if he could, but his body was already unresponsive and his mind was beginning to fog up.

Noriko had worn herself out, and the oxygen deprivation to her brain had set in. Her struggles were down to just twitches now; she was no longer able to raise her hands to her neck where the rope slowly but inexorably strangled her remaining life away. Noto only now noticed that the clothes she was wearing looked just like his school's summer uniform. She even had blood splattered on her chest, though not as much as he had. _Is that my blood, or did that happen when she killed Maya?_ _Maya… I regret that, in the end, I was unable to protect you. I regret that I will never see your beautiful face again. I regret that I will never see your eyes or feel your warmth… but if you are gone, I suppose death is not so unwelcome. You were my joy, my light, my life. I regret that I was never able to tell you how very much I love you._

Noriko wasn't moving anymore but her eyes were still looking down at Noto as if she was still watching him die. Noto could feel his own breathing becoming ragged and he realized that help did not seem to be coming after all. Still looking up at Noriko dangling over him, Noto had his last conscious thought, _Weird. I look like I'm looking_ _up at myself - looking down on me on the floor_ _._

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**Please post comments and reviews. I know I took a chance here and I would really appreciate your feedback.**

**Thank you,  
Mark629**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Trigger Warning: Minor Character Suicide**
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> You may want to avoid the section with the following title:
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> **Saturday evening, September 12 – Hisamitsu residence (Noto's home)**
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> **Trigger Warning: Minor Character Suicide**
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> You may want to avoid the section with the following title:
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> **Saturday evening, September 12 – Hisamitsu residence (Noto's home)**
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> **Trigger Warning: Minor Character Suicide**
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> You may want to avoid the section with the following title:
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> **Saturday evening, September 12 – Hisamitsu residence (Noto's home)**


	25. The Truth

**Saturday evening, September 12 – Hisamitsu residence (Noto's home) [continued]**

* * *

“Please, Kurosawa-san,” the female police officer said, “just tell me everything you remember. If there are parts you don’t remember, that’s okay. But every detail can be helpful so take your time.”

Hisako had a blanket over her shoulders and there was a cup of coffee in front of her. She couldn’t look at it though. The patterns of light and shadow on it’s surface reminded her of the reflections on the surface of the pool of blood in the hallway. So much blood in that hallway… Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and heard only the sound of her own voice and the pencil on the police officer’s notebook as she recounted the horrors of the evening.

.

“You’re not mean to everyone.” Maya said as they walked along the street leading to Noto’s house, “Why do you pick on me so much?

“The obvious reason would be that it's fun.” Hisako chuckled.

Maya said nothing but her hands balled into fists as she walked along side her tormentor. Her frustration did not go unnoticed by Hisako.

“The altruistic reasons would be,” Hisako looked thoughtful, “Because I like you. And because you need to grow up fast if you want your relationship with Noto to last.”

“Huh?” Maya couldn’t tell if Hisako was being serious or setting her up to be teased again. “How does that make any sense?”

“When I rile you up, your reactions are so cute.” Hisako grinned, “You look like a silly manga character; flapping about in frustration with little poofs of steam coming out of your head.”

“…” Maya wanted to object to such a childish characterization but that damn girl had actually taken pictures of her in some of her recent fits of indignation and… well…

“But we can’t be like that forever. As much as I wouldn't mind you staying just the way you are. It would only lead to a bad end for you.”

 _A bad end…_ “Why?” Maya wondered what Hisako meant by a bad end.

“Maya-chan,” Hisako told her, “I am the kind of person that likes cute things and when you are blowing up, its so cute… most of the time. So I don’t mind if you stay the way you are.” Hisako continued walking but put a hand on Maya's shoulder before continuing, “But you’re not marrying me… you love Noto and you are going to marry Noto, right?”

“Yes.” Maya was still unsure where this was all leading.

“Do you think _he_ is the kind of person to enjoy poking you with a stick to see your cute reactions?” Hisako asked.

“No.” Maya pouted, “He’s not like that. He’s nice to me.” Maya defended her fiancé.

“He is respectful of you.” Hisako pointed out. “I poke fun and play with you because I like it when you are a playful person. He shows respect to you because…” Hisako didn't finish the sentence. She waited for Maya to draw the conclusion she was trying to explain.

“He is a respectful person.” Maya answered at first. Then it dawned on Maya, “He wants _me_ to be a respectful person.”

“Sort of,” Hisako corrected, “he already sees you as someone he can respect.”

“He does?” Maya was surprised by this, “But why? What have I done?”

“At the very least you have earned his love.” Hisako smiled, “Other than that, I don’t know. Perhaps you should ask him that question. But before you do, there are a couple of things you should think about.”

“What?” Maya was now listening to Hisako as if the taller girl had suddenly become a senpai or even a sensei. Without asking for help, she was getting advice on exactly the things that had been bothering her. “What should I think about?”

“If you ask him such a question, he may ask you the same thing. Be prepared to tell him why you respect him… why you love him.” Hisako could see Maya seriously thinking about what she just said. She knew it was a pretty heavy thing for the teenager to think about but not as bad as the other thing Maya would have to consider. Taking a deep breath, Hisako continued, “But that’s not all. If you just want to date Noto until the end of High School, that’s one thing. But if you are really going to marry him and you want the marriage to last, you are going to have to stop being so childish.”

“What?” Maya’s anger flared. _Just when I thought I could_ _believe in_ _Hisako, she has to go and say something like that to me!_ _She's so infuriating!_

“When you respond to things that you don’t like with jealousy and anger, it is childish… and it tends to chip away at the respect one has for you.” Hisako sounded as if she were reciting a lecture, or a passage from a textbook. It sounded forced and unnatural, but it did make Maya stop and think.

“You…” Maya’s anger faded as she looked up at Hisako and saw a haunted expression. Suddenly it occurred to her that this was a lesson that Hisako had probably learned herself. In a friendlier tone Maya asked, “You went through this yourself, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Hisako said, “I used to let the press goad me into saying hurtful things. I said hurtful things about Ami-chan. I said hurtful things about the press. In the end, I was the one that was hurt the most.”

Maya remembered all the articles that she had seen that had blamed the diabolic Hisako for the disappearance of Kawashima Ami from the spotlight. The fiery words from Hisako had helped to boost the ratings of entertainment shows and it had sold magazines, but Hisako herself had only ever suffered for it. Of course, Hisako was better now and she was even acting like a big sister to Maya. It seemed that Hisako was always there teasing her, but also helping her. “Why,” Maya asked, “Why are you doing this for me?”

“Ryuuji-sama and Ami-chan saved me from myself. They did me the honor of introducing me to all of their friends and so far, I have liked all of them.” Hisako said.

“Even me?” Maya almost laughed, “I know I haven’t been very nice to you.”

“I actually liked you and Nanako-chan from the first time I saw you.” Hisako laughed, “You were both so small and cute! I just wanted to pull you both up in my arms and cuddle you like stuffed animals.”

“Um…” Maya wasn’t sure she wanted to know that.

“Although… it’s also true that I wanted to rip your arms and legs off when you had your little tantrum that made Ami so unhappy.” Hisako added.

“Yeah,” Maya didn’t get upset from that criticism, she knew that she had been terribly wrong back then, “I was so stupid.”

“That’s it right there!” Hisako grabbed Maya by the arms, “You behaved badly, you hurt other people, and now you feel like an idiot! If you had taken a minute or two, to think things through at the beginning, the _hurting other people_ and _feeling like an idiot_ parts never would have happened. Right?”

“So…” Maya’s defenses were crumbled but they were still present to some degree, “so when you say things like… you’re going to kiss Noto-kun, what should I do… laugh?”

“Of course you should laugh.” Hisako smiled.

“Huh?” Maya gaped in disbelief. She did not see the humor of this big chested, raven haired model kissing her fiancé at all.

“Even if I say I am going to kiss Noto-kun, do you honestly think he would let me?” Hisako winked, “Is that really the opinion you have of him?”

“OH!” Maya had never considered how insulting it was to Noto when she reacted that way. “I guess I do have some growing up to do.”

“All right, we’re here.” Hisako put the packet of pictures in Maya’s hands, “Go give these to your lover and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

.

“So that’s why you and Kihara Maya were here?” the policewoman asked.

“Yes,” Hisako asked, “is she going to be okay?”

“I don’t know.” the policewoman said, “she and Hisamitsu Noto were taken away in the same ambulance.”

Hisako took a sip of her coffee and saw the reflections of the crime scene photographer’s flash as the inside of Noto’s house was processed. “Shall I continue?” Hisako asked when the policewoman stopped writing.

“Please do, whenever you are ready.” the policewoman said compassionately.

.

**Saturday evening, September 12 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Ryuuji looked ashen as he hung up his phone.

“What’s wrong, Ryu-chan?” Yasuko asked her son.

“Somebody tried to kill Noto tonight.” Ryuuji stumbled the words out.

“What? Noto-kun? But why?” Yasuko couldn't believe what she had just heard.

“He and Maya-chan are at the hospital now.” Ryuuji’s mouth was still running on auto-pilot and just repeating the words he had just heard.

“What about Maya?” Nanako asked. She had heard Maya’s name but not the context so she was only curious and not yet stunned.

Ryuuji looked past his mother and saw Nanako playing with Aiko-chan on the floor of the living room and the jolt of seeing their smiling faces brought him back to deliberate thought. “Yasuko, could you take Aiko-chan to your room for a bit?”

“Yes… yes of course,” Yasuko’s smile was back in place when she turned to face the young girl.

After they left the room, Ryuuji asked Nanako, “Can you bring everyone else in here?”

“Yes,” Nanako didn’t ask why. It worried her that she had never seen Ryuuji so serious before.

.

Yasuko was busy with Aiko-chan in her room, but soon Ryuuji had Ami, Yuri, Suzume, and Nanako gathered around the table in the living room. They were all looking at him expectantly.

Ryuuji decided to just get to the point. His face wasn’t any good at cushioning the blow anyway, “I got a call from Hisako. There’s been an accident at Noto’s house. I don’t know all the details, but she is there answering questions to the police.”

“The police?” Ami bristled.

“Yeah. She said that Noto and Maya are in an ambulance and on their way to the emergency room.”

“No!” Nanako cried out. Her anguish was in that one word, so evident that Yuri instantly hugged the shorter girl to show her support.

“What happened?” Ami asked.

“Is Hisako okay?” Suzume asked.

“Is Maya okay?” Nanako asked.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t know any more.” Ryuuji knew those questions would come, but he had nothing else to give. Instead, he summoned up his sense of responsibility and said, “As much as I would like for us all to be together at a time like this, we need to split up for a while at least. Noto-kun and Maya-chan are at the hospital now, Hisako-chan is still at Noto’s house.”

“I’ll go to Hisako.” Ami said immediately. Then to Ryuuji she said, “You should go to Noto-kun, and Nanako-chan will go to Maya-chan.”

“I’ll go with you to see Hisako.” Suzume announced.

“I’ll go to the hospital too.” Koigakubo Yuri said as she pulled out her phone, “I’ll call a taxi. Ryuuji won’t be able to push two wheelchairs.”

“Thank you sensei!” Nanako moved over to sit next to Yuri-sensei. She was frightened over what they might find out and her teacher’s presence gave her comfort and courage.

“I’ll go tell Yasuko what the plans are.” Ryuuji stood to leave the room as others were getting ready to head out as well. As he walked to his mother’s room, he fired off a text message to Haruta. Ryuuji knew he was a good friend, but Haruta was Noto’s _best_ friend and he should know. Having finished the message, Ryuuji opened the door to his mother’s and Yuri’s room and saw that Aiko-chan was already asleep next to Yasuko. _I guess I’ll write a note instead._

.

**Saturday evening, September 12 – Hisamitsu residence (Noto's home) [continued]**

* * *

“Kurosawa-san?” the policewoman prompted, “Kurosawa-san, are you okay to continue?”

“Yes, sorry.” Hisako looked down at her stained clothes, “There was just so much blood… it bothers me.”

“I understand,” the policewoman said, “take your time.”

.

“ERRK!” Maya squawked when Hisako grabbed her by the collar and jerked her back to the gate. “What the hell was that for?” she tried to say, but Hisako’s hand was over her mouth.

“Something is wrong.” Hisako was pulling Maya to be behind her.

“What?” Maya was nervous now. She could tell that something was really troubling Hisako and this wasn’t just another tease or gag.

“The house is all dark and the front door is open.” Hisako took a quick look around at the small front yard inside the gate. There was a recently planted tree with a decorative wrought iron rod giving it support on one side. Maya stayed behind Hisako as she moved over to the tree. Putting her back into the tree, she freed the rod of iron and pulled it from the ground.

“What are you doing?” Maya whispered.

“There might be someone bad in there.” Hisako told Maya, “You stay behind the gate. If you hear me scream, or if I’m not back in five minutes, take off running and call emergency services.”

“No way!” Maya whispered angrily, “I’m coming with you.”

“Maya…” Hisako wanted to tell Maya to stay put for her own good, but she realized that she probably couldn’t persuade Maya to leave Noto if there was a chance he was in trouble. Instead, she ordered, “Fine, but have emergency services dialed up on your phone and be ready to call them at a moments notice. Okay?”

Following Hisako’s instructions, Maya nervously hit the numbers and held her thumb over the call button on her phone. She thought she was ready for whatever might happen. Thinking about all the things that could happen to her if there really was a bad person here, she was suddenly grateful that Hisako was with her.

“O… Okay, I’m ready.” Maya answered quietly. She stayed behind Hisako as they crept up to the porch and looked inside. From there, they couldn’t see around the corner into the living room, but they could see down the hall to where a body was laying in a pool of blood.

“Emergency Services, what is the nature of the emergency?” the sound coming out of Maya’s phone startled both girls. Maya hadn’t even realized she had pressed the button.

“There’s a body… and blood!” Maya was going into shock, “So much blood…”

“Maya!” Hisako hissed, “Tell them to send an ambulance and police! I’m going to look inside.”

Hisako could hear Maya answering questions as she crept inside the house with iron rod in her hands. Only a few steps inside the door and she realized that she wouldn’t need it. She saw one Noto lying on the floor with a knife sticking out of his chest and another Noto hanging from a rope from the ceiling. A moment passed at the confusion but she had already been introduced to Noto’s look-alike cousin so she wasn’t too surprised. _So only one is the real Noto… but which one?_ Hisako instantly turned to the one on the floor and ran to him. _The real Noto wouldn’t be stupid enough to hang himself!_ One hand reached to Noto’s neck and another between his legs. His neck revealed a weak pulse, but she didn’t notice him breathing. Her other hand told her that she had chosen the correct Noto. “MAYA!” Hisako screamed, “Get in here NOW, and bring your phone with you!”

“NOTO!” Maya screamed when she saw the body hanging from the ceiling.

“That’s not Noto,” Hisako said as she bent Noto’s neck, pinched his nose, fastened her lips to his, and breathed much needed air into his unmoving lungs.

“What?” Maya looked from the hanging Noto, to the other that had a knife sticking out of his chest.

“Get down here – on the other side of his head.” Hisako ordered between breaths.

“Okay,” Maya was on the verge of slipping into shock herself as she knelt next to Noto.

“Lean a little closer,” Hisako could see Maya’s eyes starting to lose focus, but she leaned forward as she was told.

SLAP! The blow from Hisako’s hand sent Maya sprawling to the floor.

“What the hell, Hisako?” an angry Maya shouted back at the model that had just left her hand print on Maya’s left cheek.

“You were about to go into shock,” Hisako breathed for Noto again then said, “I really need you to be all here or Noto is going to die. Do you get that?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Maya rubbed her cheek but the urgency of the situation wouldn’t let her stay upset with Hisako, “What should I do?”

“Do you see how I’m supporting his neck, pinching his nose, and breathing into his mouth?” Hisako asked.

“Yes.” Maya said. She had seen this before in a training video and read about it in health class.

“Good,” Hisako took her hands away from Noto and grabbed the cell phone from Maya’s hand, “Now you do it.”

“Ah!” Maya said as she bent to her task. Although she had read about this before, she had never practiced it so she tried her best to mimic what Hisako was doing.

“Hello, emergency services? Are you still on the phone?” Hisako asked.

“Yes,” a woman’s voice came back, “help is on the way. Who is this now?”

“Kurosawa Hisako,” She identified herself, “There is one person hanging, and another with a knife in his chest on the floor. That one is Hisamitsu Noto, a third year high school student. I’m going now to see about the body in the hall.”

“There are three bodies?” the voice on the phone asked.

“That’s all I’ve seen so far,” Hisako told them as she got to the third body. “Oh no… the third body is Hisamitsu Shinako. She’s been stabbed in the throat…” Hisako knelt into the pool of blood that surrounded Shinako and put a finger to the girl’s throat as she lowered her ear to the still lips. “There is no breathing or pulse… there is a lot of blood… I’m beginning chest compressions and breathing. Please tell the ambulance to hurry!”

.

“How did you know how to do all that stuff? Are you a doctor?” the policewoman asked.

“No,” Hisako had a small laugh, “I’m a model. Last year I didn’t have a lot of work though. I ended up watching a lot of medical dramas on television.”

“Ah, so you are _that_ Kurosawa Hisako?” the policewoman started to write something down.

“She is.” a voice spoke up from the other side of the police car where Hisako was answering questions, “And I am _that_ Kawashima Ami.” Ami didn’t like the way the policewoman’s last comment sounded. She picked up her phone and asked, “Are you done now, or do I need to call the Kawashima family lawyer?”

“This does not concern you, Kawashima-san.” the policewoman tried to dismiss the blue haired teen.

“She is my best friend, she is staying at my house, and I am friends with the family that lives here.” Ami rebutted the officer, “I am, in fact, a great deal concerned… officer.”

“If we’re done,” Hisako also saw a worried Suzume standing with Ami, “I would like to go to the hospital and be with my friends.” She didn’t know why Ami had reacted that way, but so far the officer had been only courteous to her.

“Yes,” the policewoman closed her notebook and thanked Hisako, “Thank you for the information you have provided.”

.

“Ami?” Hisako asked after they were a block away from the Hisamitsu residence, “What’s the matter?”

“I… I didn’t like the way she was talking to you.” Ami sounded too upset for it to just be that.

“She was just doing her job.” Hisako offered.

“Why wasn’t she doing her job when I had a stalker scaring me day and night? They only do their job when it’s convenient to them!” Ami vented, “When I complained, they just made excuses and said how it was my fault for being a celebrity. My fault that someone was stalking me! I just… have a hard time… trusting the police anymore.”

“I’m sorry Ami…” Hisako had known for a while now that Ami’s disappearance from modeling had nothing to do with her, but she still felt bad about how she had behaved.

“Hey guys,” Suzume cut in, “I know you want to get to the hospital soon, but maybe we should go by the house first?”

“Why?” Ami stopped and looked at the red headed girl.

“Um… I’m sorry to point this out, but Hisako-senpai has so much blood on her, she looks like she came from the set of a horror movie.”

All three of the girls stopped and looked at Hisako then. There was blood on her arms and legs, her shorts and her shirt. There was even blood on her face and neck.

“It’s okay,” Hisako brushed it off, “if anyone asks, I’ll just tell them I’m having a really bad period.”

Suzume couldn’t hold her reaction back and burst out with nervous laughter.

“Unf!” Ami put her hand to her face, “No, Suzume’s right. Let’s head home first.”

.

**Monday morning, September 14 – High School**

* * *

“Sensei! Sensei! Sensei!” several voices in the classroom were clamoring for Yuri’s attention as she walked in. A few of the students noticed how weary she looked and stopped bothering her but others… many others, were less observant.

“I saw Taiga at the front gate on Friday!”

“Is Taiga back?”

“Will she be coming back to our class?”

“I didn’t see her but everyone has pictures of her from Friday when school let out!”

“They have pictures of Takasu-kun carrying you in his arms too!”

“Yeah, what’s up with that?”

“Class repre…” Yuri started to call out, then remembered who the class rep was… and where he was. “Class, please be seated.”

Some of them sat down but others were looking around for Noto and wondering why the usually punctual class representative wasn’t already here.

“I SAID SIT DOWN!” Yuri thundered. In moments, they were in their seats. That’s when the absences could be clearly seen. So many students were missing now. Half the class that was present, was wearing the cold masks now. The students in the classroom assumed that the absences were all related to the flu. Pointing to Minori, Yuri said, “Do the thing.”

“Yes!” Amazingly, Minori knew what Yuri-sensei wanted, “Stand, bow, be seated.”

“First of all, the girl you saw on Friday wasn’t Aisaka-san.” Yuri told them, “Her name is Aiko-chan. She is only nine years old.”

“What?” several students opened their phones to look again at the picture from Friday.

“So,” Yuri sounded like an avenging angel now, “Pass the word. If I find out that anyone has an up-skirt picture of her, I will personally scoop your eyes out with a melon baller! Is that understood?”

“Yes Sensei!” Many students were deleting the pictures from their phones whether they were up-skirt shots or not. After all, how do you explain having a picture of an unrelated grade-schooler on your phone?

“Finally, I have some grave news to tell you.” Yuri sat back down and tried not to cry in front of her students again as she told them, “Saturday night, Hisamitsu Noto and a cousin of his were attacked in his home by a family member. They were both stabbed, and they are still in intensive care in the hospital.

“No!” several students were on their feet from the unexpected shock of this news.

“If not for the courageous efforts of Kihara Maya and Kurosawa Hisako, they would likely be dead now.” Yuri looked back up at her stunned students, “You should all take the opportunity to learn CPR. You never know when it might be your turn to save a life.”

“Is…” a girl from the front row spoke up, “is there anything we can do?”

At first, Yuri was tempted to thank her for offering but dismiss the idea and continue on with class. Then she remembered something they had said at the hospital. She told the class, “If you want to help, you can donate blood. Noto and his cousin lost a lot of blood…”

“Sensei!” two students stood up, “We’ll go down to the nurses office and see if we can put together a blood drive!”

“I’ll go to the office and see if we can get the whole school involved!” another student popped up.

Yuri watched in amazement as her class jumped into action. _They really are a most incredible class. I’m gonna miss them so much!_

.

**Monday morning, September 14 – Hosei Elementary School**

* * *

“That didn’t take long,” Ryuuji said to his mother. Withdrawing a child from elementary school was an easier process than they had thought it would be.

“They barely even looked at the guardianship papers,” Yasuko commented, “I wonder if Aiko-chan’s mother called them in advance?” Yasuko wanted to lighten the mood for the kids, but she knew they were all thinking about Nanako and Maya at the hospital – waiting for any word on Noto’s condition. No notes had been sent to explain their absence from high school today. Yuri would be there and she knew where everyone was and why they weren’t at school.

“Well, let’s get this over with.” Ryuuji was bitter. One of his best friends was in the hospital and they were in the school that had bullied little Aiko-chan. The fierce scowl on his face would have scared even his friends had they not also felt bitter as well.

Aiko-chan held Yasuko’s hand but her head was down and it was easy to see that she dreaded going back to that classroom again.

“Come on Aiko-chan,” Yasuko smiled to the scared girl, “going to your class will be different today.”

“It will?” Aiko-chan looked up to Yasuko and saw the confident and glorious smile that only Onee-chan could project.

“Of course,” Yasuko winked, “you have your friends with you today!”

Aiko-chan smiled as she thought about that. _Besides Onee-chan,_ _I have_ _Ryuuji-sama, Ami-senpai, Hisako-senpai, and Suzume-senpai with_ _me_ _now!_ Aiko-chan looked up at her friends and smiled too. She decided that Onee-chan was right; they were her friends and everything was going to be okay this time.

A few teachers and students were in the halls as Aiko-chan and her friends quietly walked to the classroom to clear out Aiko-chan’s belongings. The students ran off quickly. A few teachers looked like they were going to approach the group but, after they saw Ryuuji’s face, they suddenly remembered they had something else to do.

“This is the classroom.” Aiko-chan said as she stopped in front of the closed door. She was about to open it when Ami stopped her.

“Just a second Aiko-chan,” Ami turned to her fiancé and said, “Mirror-shades.”

“Oh, right.” Ryuuji pulled the glasses out of the case and put them on. Aiko-chan smiled up at him as she opened the door.

“Well if it isn’t freak…” the voice died out as Yasuko and the teenagers followed Aiko-chan into the classroom. Ryuuji came in last and tried to find the voice that he had heard. The sunglasses did little to hide the scowl on Ryuuji’s face, so when Aiko-chan’s classmates saw him come through the doorway, they instinctively started backing toward the other end of the classroom.

“What… what’s the meaning of this?” the teacher sounded almost petrified.

“Here,” Yasuko handed her a copy of the release form, “Aiko-chan will be leaving this school today. I will need your folder and her _friends_ will be helping her clear out her belongings.”

The teacher was glad that she only had to deal with Yasuko. She seemed pleasant enough. The others were giants and, glasses or no glasses, the guy looked scary as all hell to her. She quickly retrieved the folder and handed it to Yasuko.

Instead of simply taking the folder, Yasuko took a few minutes to look through it. Then she turned to the teacher and asked, “This can’t be all of it. I don’t see any record of all the bullying that Aiko-chan has been subjected to. Where are those records?” Her voice still sounded sweet but there was no mistake that this was not a question, but a demand.

“What bullying?” The teacher blanched.

“I am referring to many kinds of bullying.” Yasuko’s smile flattened a little and her voice lost some of its usual bounciness, “One example would be the loathsome little boy that called Aiko-chan a ‘freak’ when we first walked in.”

“But she is a freak.” a boy stammered in defense of his earlier outburst.

“What?” Ryuuji whipped off his glasses and glared at the boy.

“EEP!” the boy’s face lost all color but the front of his pants darkened as the room acquired the smell of urine. The other students in the room pressed back against the far wall even more and some of them started crying.

“Onee-chan.” Suzume called out from where she had picked up some of Aiko-chan’s books. She held up a text book and flipped through it. When she saw that Yasuko wasn’t taking her eyes off the teacher, she said aloud, “Some pages of this textbook are marked over with crayon while other pages have been torn out completely.”

“Aiko-chan,” Yasuko asked, “did you do that to your book?”

“No, Onee-chan.” Aiko-chan’s sad voice wasn’t the only sound in the room. A few more students in the room started crying as their inexcusable actions were exposed.

“I… I had no idea! I didn’t know!” the teacher exclaimed.

“Suzume-chan,” Yasuko called out without turning away from the teacher, “bring me that book.” The teacher and students watched as the unbelievably tall girl brought the book over to the blond woman at the teacher’s desk. Yasuko looked at the cover of the book and found the same book on the teachers desk. Without saying a word, she swapped the two books.

“Y… you can’t do that! I use that book to teach the lessons!” the teacher gasped.

“Then you’re in luck.” Yasuko made no move to give back the book, “This will be your lesson. Whenever you look at that book, you should remember this lesson.”

“But…” the teacher started to protest.

“Or maybe I should go through all of Aiko-chan’s belongings and see just how bad of a teacher you are?” Yasuko simply smiled and waited for the teacher’s response.

The teacher said nothing. She was being disgraced in front of her class but there was nothing she could say. She had known of the bullying but had written such things off to the kids-will-be-kids philosophy. She looked at the floor and hoped these people would leave soon so she could get back to the usual routine of her class.

“Aiko-chan, do you have everything now?” Yasuko still had her eyes on the teacher as she asked the question.

“Yes, Onee-chan!” Aiko-chan answered.

“Be very sure,” Yasuko sounded cheerful again as she said, “after all, you’re never coming back to this place again.”

“Yes Onee-chan, I have everything!” Aiko-chan practically cheered, “I can’t wait to go see my new school!”

Aiko-chan was out the door with Suzume when the teacher quietly asked, “What makes you think it won’t be the same for her at the next school?”

“Easy,” Yasuko said without turning around to face the shamed teacher, “you won’t be there.”

.

The procession from the elementary school to the train station had been quiet for a while. Finally, Suzume couldn’t hold it back any more.

“I just have to say…” Suzume turned to Yasuko and said with amazement in her voice, “Wow, Onee-chan can be scary!”

“Huh?” Yasuko acted as if she didn’t know what that could be about.

“You destroyed her!” Hisako confirmed.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” Yasuko smiled a little, “Someday, you may have kids in school. When you do, remember that there are some teachers like Yuri-sensei that are a marvel, but there are bad teachers too.”

Ryuuji walked along in silence and wondered how many times his mother might have gone to his schools to face the teachers down when he was growing up. Looking at Aiko-chan, he wondered how much worse his school life might have been if she hadn’t been there for him. _Thanks mom._ _I’ll have to remember to thank Yuri-sensei for being an awesome teacher too._

.

**Monday morning, September 14 – On The Train**

* * *

Ami looked up from her phone with a smile that she hadn’t been able to muster since before the tragic events of Saturday night. “Noto-kun is out of the ICU.” she told the little group, “Still no word on Shinako-san.”

“What’s an ICU?” Aiko-chan asked.

“That’s the intensive care unit.” Yasuko told her, “You only go there if you’re in really bad shape, so coming out of it is a good sign.”

“They’ll be better, I just know it.” Aiko-chan sounded certain.

“What makes you say that?” Yasuko asked in a friendly voice. She didn’t want to stifle this little drop of sunshine one bit.

“Because Hisako-senpai and Maya-chan are heroes.” Aiko-chan said with conviction.

Hisako’s expression changed from concern to one of utter surprise. Normally a line like that was a set up for an insult, but Aiko-chan was too honest and too innocent for that.

“They were my heroes when I was in the hospital and they’ll be Noto-kun and Shinako-san’s heroes now.”

“So that’s how it works?” Yasuko wished they could all be as confident as Aiko-chan.

“Yup!” Aiko-chan confidently answered and went back to looking at the scenery moving past the windows.

A stunned Hisako looked up from where she sat to meet Ami’s eyes.

“No pressure,” Ami smiled, “… Hero.”

.

**Monday morning, September 14 – Hospital**

* * *

“I really don’t like hospitals.” Nanako was holding Maya’s hand in the hallway, as the hospital staff moved Noto into his room.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” Maya said quietly.

When the staff moved out of the room, the two girls started to enter but were blocked by a nurse, “I’m sorry, only family is allowed into the room at this time.”

“But we…” Maya was about to protest when a voice called out from behind her.

“Young lady, are you Kihara Maya?” the girls turned to see an older but still regal looking woman in a Kimono looking at them.

“Yes Obasama,” Maya said to the family matriarch as she bowed, “I am here with my friend, Kashii Nanako.”

“Good morning, Hisamitsu-sama.” Nanako bowed as well.

“Come,” Obasama walked past the girls, “with me.” The three of them walked into Noto’s room. For some reason, there was no longer a nurse at the door trying to deny them entrance.

Noto was still unconscious from the treatments that had been used to save his life. Standing around his bed, Maya and Nanako watched as the imperious matriarch’s expression changed to one of love and sadness. She was looking at Noto’s sleeping face and she reached out to caress a bit of hair out of his closed eyes.

“Please,” Obasama asked Maya, “tell me everything you know.”

Maya didn’t think twice. Obasama had asked for it so she told her. Maya gave as many details as she could even when she started crying from the horrid memories that the telling of the story evoked. Nanako held her orange haired friend as she did her best to recall the incidents of that terrible night. She finished telling the story when she got to the part about getting in the ambulance. “I remember holding his hand and begging him not to die but… I just don’t remember anything else. I’m so sorry!”

“Do not be sorry.” Obasama told her, “Had you not been there, he would be dead. I am grateful to you for being there.”

“But,” Maya sobbed, “if he hadn’t fallen in love with me… or if I had said no when he asked me to marry him… he might have ended up with Noriko and this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Noriko could never have married Noto.” Obasama said with finality.

“I heard that the family had forbidden it, but if I hadn’t been in the way…” Maya could not shake the feeling that some blame inevitably made its way back to her.

“You have nothing to do with it.” Obasama told the distraught girl, “Noriko was Noto’s older sister, by blood.”

“What?” both Maya and Nanako were stunned.

“Their parents were killed in an accident soon after Noto was born.” Obasama told them, “They were split up and raised by different family members… as cousins. I had thought this was best at the time. They were only babies… no-one anticipated that one of the children might fall in love with the other.”

“Did… did Noto know?” Maya asked.

“No.” Obasama replied, “Those of us that knew made a pact that we would never tell the rest of the family… including the children. So, you see… it was never your fault, no matter how you look at it.”

“Thank you very much, Obasama.” Maya said respectfully. Maya also understood the implication. As she wasn’t married yet, she was not yet in _the family_ , so Obasama’s vow was intact. Now, Noto could know the truth about his sister without anyone breaking their promise.

“Now, about these Hospital rules.” Obasama took a ring from her finger and handed it to Maya along with a card that she pulled out of her purse, “if anyone gives you a difficult time, show them this ring. Use the card to call me if it is necessary.”

“Thank you, Obasama!” Maya looked at the card. It simply had a stamped symbol and a phone number on it. The ring had no stones, but it had an ornate design on it. It took Maya only a few moments before she made the connection that the symbol on the ring made the stamp on the card.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I will be on my way.” Obasama swiftly walked to the door, “As fortune would have it, I have another grandchild to check on in this place. It seems that she would have been dead if it had not been for your friend.”

_My friend? Hisako? My friend… Hisako!_

“Thank you very much, Kihara-san.” The matriarch said as she left, “I am indebted to you both. After my grandchildren are healed and they can walk in the sun again, I shall show you the full measure of my gratitude.”

Maya was too stunned to say anything. _Obasama is indebted to me? Hisako is my friend. Obasama gave me her signet ring. What should I do?_

“So… your friend?” Nanako smiled at the stunned Maya.

“Oh Nanako,” Maya threw her arms around her purple haired friend and sobbed, “I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do. If it hadn’t been for Hisako-chan…”

“It’s okay,” Nanako patted her friends back and smiled. She gazed over the head of her sobbing friend and looked at Noto’s face. _You need to wake up soon Noto. Your Maya needs you now, more than ever._

.

**Monday afternoon, September 14 – Kabanoki Elementary School**

* * *

They had eaten a quick lunch near the train station and hurried on to the local Elementary school to get Aiko-chan enrolled. Everyone in the group decided to accompany Aiko-chan to her new school so that there would be no misunderstandings with her new classmates.

Ryuuji was back in his mirror-shades as they walked the halls to classroom 3-2 at Kabanoki Elementary School. Yasuko, Hisako, and the teenagers were all in better spirits – thanks mostly to Aiko-chan. She was so happy to be going to a new school that she couldn’t stop smiling. Of course, the message that Noto-san was out of the ICU-thing helped too.

When they got to the right classroom, the students had just come back from lunch. Yasuko knocked on the door and waved the teacher to come out into the hall for a moment. She was wondering how she was going to talk the teacher into letting them all come in the room for a moment when they young woman shrieked.

“Oh my gods, you’re Kawashima Ami!” the young teacher gushed.

“Ulp… yes?” Ami was stunned at this level of fan anxiety from a teacher but then, fans could be anywhere.

“Do you mind if we do a quick presentation to your class?” Suzume quickly asked the teacher.

“Presentation?” the teacher asked the tall red head.

“It’s on rumors, lies, and bullying and how important it is to do well in school.” Suzume smiled.

“Oh, that sounds like a wonderful thing.” the teacher opened the door, “Just give me a moment to get my class ready.”

“What’s going on?” Ryuuji asked Suzume.

“I have an idea…” Suzume smiled.

.

Ami stood in front of the class and asked, “How many of you know what a model is?”

All of the students raised their hands.

“Is that normal for third graders?” a disbelieving Ami asked the teacher.

“Oh… uh… I kind of share my hobby with the class.” the teacher blushed.

“Okay,” turning back to the class, she introduced herself, “I am Kawashima Ami and I would like to talk to you for a minute about how bad lies and rumors are.”

The excitement in the room quickly waned when the kids thought they were going to get another boring lecture.

“This is my bestest friend,” Ami pulled Hisako into the room, “Her name is Kurosawa Hisako.”

“What?” the teacher jumped up from her desk in alarm. A few of the students gasped.

“Now a lot of people think that Hisako is a bad person because some mean people spread rumors and lies about her. They said she was the reason why I stopped modeling for a while. But the truth is that I went back to school because education… is… important! Right sensei?”

“Uh, yes!” the teacher was confused. Now that she heard the name, she knew it really was Kurosawa Hisako in her classroom with Kawashima Ami. _How can this be? I thought they were mortal enemies!_

“Well, I am modeling again and now I am modeling with two really good friends. Hisako is one, but also, Minami Suzume!” Ami pulled Suzume into the room and she waved cheerfully to all the kids.

“I’m Suzume and I’m in middle school now but I’ll be in high school next year!”

“Wow! She’s in middle school?”

“Cool, three models!”

“It is cool, but sometimes people aren’t bullied because of someone else's lies. They get bullied because of how they look.” Suzume pulled Ryuuji into the room and pulled off his glasses, “What do you think when you see this guy?”

“Oooh scary!”

“He’s real scary!”

“I’d start screaming until the police came.”

“That would be mean!” Suzume waved her finger at them, “He may look mean, but he is really a big sweety. In fact, he is such a good guy that someone in this room plans on marrying him…”

“What?” the teacher and the students all asked.

Ami smiled and held up her hand to show off her engagement ring.

“Wow, what a pretty ring!”

“No way! Kawashima Ami must be fearless!”

“That’s so cool!”

“Now I have one more person to introduce to you but first, can I get the tallest student in the class to come forward?” Suzume asked.

A boy got up from his desk and went to the front of the room with the models.

“Now I’m going to have you stand back to back with my friend, Aiko-chan.” Suzume noticed that the boy was now blushing as their backs touched. “Okay, you can all see that Aiko-chan is taller by about five centimeters, right?”

“Yes.” the class responded.

“What if I told you that Aiko-chan is also in third grade, just like you?” Suzume asked.

“No way! Is she a repeater?”

“In third grade, really?”

“Wow, she’s really tall!”

“She didn’t fail a grade. In fact, she is very smart!” Suzume told them, “And yes, she is quite tall for her age. So, like us, she wants to be a model too.”

Yasuko took this opportunity to hand over the transfer papers to the teacher.

“Oh my!” the teacher reacted when she realized what she was holding in her hand, “Class, please welcome Aiko-chan. She will be starting at our school today!”

“Yay!” the classroom cheering could be heard down the hall.

.

“Well. I think that went well.” Suzume was proud of herself.

“It went amazingly well,” Ryuuji said as he patted her head, “I’ll have to remember your improvisation skills from now on, Suzume-chan.”

Suzume blushed from Ryuuji’s praise and feeling his hand on her head. Hisako and Ami smiled when they saw the full face blush on their younger, but taller friend.

“Oh, Suzume-chan, you’d better lie down when we get home. You look a bit feverish.” Ami teased.

“Ami-chan…” Suzume pleaded for mercy with her expression more than her words.

“A bit? She looks like she’s burning up!” Hisako said with feigned concern. “Maybe Ryuuji should carry her the rest of the way?”

“Guys… stop!” Suzume whined. She blushed harder to the resounding laughter from her friends.


	26. Useful Memories

**Wednesday afternoon, September 16 – High School**

* * *

Ryuuji’s cell phone alerted with a vibration to let him know that there was a message. He had turned the volume all the way off, but since it was on the desk surface, the buzzing sound reverberated into the classroom. Yuri stopped her lecture and the class watched to see if it might be news from the hospital. It turned out to be a message to call the talent agency at his earliest convenience.

Ryuuji shook his head to let everyone know there was still no news on Noto as yet.

“Important?” Yuri asked Ryuuji.

“The agency.” Ryuuji answered. He noticed that Ami and Hisako perked up. Nanako took Hisako's hand. She knew how desperate her friend was for work and how much she was anticipating some good news.

“Well, we’re just covering the problem areas from the last mock exam.” Yuri said, “Since you didn’t have any problem areas, you can be excused if you want to return that call.”

“Thank you, sensei.” Ryuuji got up and walked toward the doorway at the front of the class.

“Can I be excused too?” Haruta asked.

“Haruta-san,” Yuri sighed, “If we focused on your problem areas, we would be here until midnight!”

“Awww, that’s not fair sensei!” Haruta whined as the class laughed at his antics. Ryuuji chuckled too as he walked out of the classroom to return the call in privacy.

.

At the entrance to Ohashi High School, Yasuko and Aiko-chan waited for their friends and family. Yasuko looked at the bright eyed and happy little girl as she sat on the low stone wall next to her Onee-chan and hummed a tune. People said that being around Yasuko made them happy, but for Yasuko – being around this happy angelic sprite was what made her happy. Aiko-chan caught Yasuko looking at her and giggled.

The day was warm and Yasuko was watching the procession of students filtering out in their summer uniforms. Ryuuji had looked so splendid in his summer uniform, of course Yasuko thought he looked splendid in his winter uniform too. Soon, the day would come to switch back to the winter uniform and he would never wear the summer uniform again. Those days would be done and he would be in the final march to High School graduation. And where would he go from there? His options used to be so limited when he was convinced that there was no way he could go to college, but… It was different now. He had selected a college option and it looked like he might already have a career in the entertainment business… if the last month had been any indication, and if he wanted it. Where he used to see only an indistinct, dreary path for his future, his eyes had been opened to so many wonderful opportunities now. Yasuko couldn't think of anyone that deserved the thanks for that more than Ami. _Thank you Ami. Thank you for so much!_

“Onee-chan, are you crying?” Hisako’s voice startled Yasuko.

“Oh, just feeling a little nostalgic.” Yasuko wiped the tears from her eyes and noticed that Hisako was already there with Nanako but Ryuuji and Ami were walking slowly across the courtyard with Yuri-sensei.

Maya and Haruta came out and said hello to Yasuko and Aiko-chan, but they soon left with Nanako for the hospital.

“You’re not going with them, Hisako-chan?” Aiko-chan asked the raven haired model. She was used to seeing Hisako stay by Nanako's side.

“I might go later,” Hisako told the two, “Ryuuji got a call from the agency and there is something he wants to discuss with us when we’re all together.

“Oooooh, that sounds exciting!” Yasuko cheered. Aiko-chan seemed excited too.

When Yuri got to the entrance gate, she was planning on having a few words with Yasuko for bringing Aiko-chan up to the school again. But she didn’t see anyone trying to take pictures of her this time. Word had gone around the school that the little girl that looked like Taiga was actually a nine year old, but the grade school uniform she was still wearing also helped to dissuade the old Taiga fan base from anything… indecent.

.

With Ryuuji carrying her bags, Yuri was able to walk all the way back to Ami’s house without using her wheelchair. The effort had taken its toll though, and she collapsed into a small couch as soon as she got to the living room.

Yasuko sat down next to Yuri and Aiko-chan sat in her onee-chan’s lap. Hisako sat down in a love seat but felt the emptiness from the absence of Nanako’s presence. Ami sat at the arm end of a couch while Ryuuji was looking at his phone.

“Okay, we’re all here so tell us what’s going on!” Ami demanded.

“Just a minute, there is one more person,” Ryuuji called Suzume from his cell-phone.

“Ryuuji-sama?” Suzume’s voice came from Ryuuji's phone which he had set in the middle of the coffee table.

“Hey, I have you on speaker-phone so you can talk to everyone.” Ryuuji then told her, “I got a call from the agency today and there are a few things they want me to cover with you guys.”

“Really?” Suzume sounded as excited as the girls in the room appeared to be.

“They said that they liked what they heard from the group session. They want Red Black & Blue to begin voice training together as soon as possible.”

“All right!” Suzume’s shriek came from over the phone as an excited garble.

“Yes!” Hisako seemed excited too.

“Congratulations!” Yuri told the girls.

Ami watched Ryuuji’s expression and could feel that something was wrong. “But…” she prompted him.

“I don’t know of a good way to make this work.” Ryuuji confessed. “When I look at the schedules, the only way Suzume could make it out here would require her to miss so much school, she would effectively be dropping out.”

“Ryuuji!” Yuri objected loudly to that suggestion.

“Don’t worry, sensei.” Ryuuji calmed his teacher, “Umeko would never agree to let her little sister drop out of school and I wouldn't want her to do that either.”

“Then… there’s no way?” Hisako sounded disappointed.

“The only other way I could think of, would be for Ami to drop out of school so she and Hisako-chan could live in Tokyo and go to a studio near Suzume-chan.” Ryuuji knew that he could also drop out with her and go to Tokyo too, but he knew how much his mother and fiancé would strongly object to that.

That suggestion started an avalanche of discussion. No-one was really in favor of that plan but if it was the only way… so the discussion was focused on goals, objectives, and sacrifices until someone noticed that Ryuuji’s phone was making funny warbling sounds.

“Hey guys! Can you hear me now?” Suzume was shouting into her phone.

“Yeah,” Hisako said, “sorry for stepping all over you. Do you have an idea?”

“I do.” Suzume sounded smug, “How about if I move out there and transfer to the local middle-school?”

“Well,” Ryuuji considered it, “that would work, but would Umeko-san agree to it?”

“Yes. I agree.” They all heard another voice on the cell phone.

“Umeko-san?” Ryuuji called out.

“Don’t let my brat of a little sister make you think she just came up with that solution on the spot!” Umeko warned them, “She has been hitting me with this idea ever since she came back from helping Aiko-chan change schools!

“Who are you calling little – shorty!” Suzume fired back at Umeko.

“Do you want me to agree to this or not?” Umeko said sternly to her younger sister.

“Thank you for your kindness and wisdom, my dear and wonderful big sister!” Suzume’s voice dripped with sacchariny sweetness.

“Oh stop!” Umeko choked. Everyone in Ami’s living room was laughing at the two sisters. “She has talked me into agreeing to this as long as I have a promise that you will help tutor her to get her ready for the entrance tests for Koigakubo Yuri's high school. Also, if she doesn't make it into Yuri's school, I will want her moving back here to Tokyo.”

“I can promise to help her with that!” Yuri said while blushing. She was wondering why or how she had impressed the older Minami sister so much.

“Do you already have a place to stay?” Ami asked.

“I know this may be a bit forward, but when I was out there last weekend, I heard Yuri-sensei and Nanako-chan talking about leaving this coming weekend.” Suzume sounded apologetic as she asked, “So… I was kinda hoping to call dibs on Nanako’s bed.”

“Nanako isn’t here right now,” Yuri said, “but I will definitely be leaving this weekend.”

“Yuri-chan?” Yasuko sounded hurt.

“It’s not that I want to!” Yuri explained with wet eyes, “It’s pretty bad, from an ethics perspective, that I am living in a house with some of my own students. I’ve been able to get away with it so far because I am under a doctor’s directive. But that directive runs out on Saturday, so…”

“We understand.” Ryuuji smiled, “But we will still need you for Red Black & Blue road trips. That is the deal we made with Umeko and I do not plan to try to renegotiate with her on that point.”

“But Ryuuji…”

“You promised.” Hisako reminded the teacher while wagging a finger at her, “That makes it an obligation.”

“I guess I did promise.” Yuri smiled, “All right then. I’ll just have to figure out some way to explain it to the ethics committee. I guess you guys are stuck with me.” The words might make you think she was simply resigned to this fate, but the smile on her face betrayed her real feelings.

“Well… since Suzume and Umeko were able to find a solution that will make this work, I should let you know that there is another issue.” Ryuuji told them, “They want us to come up with one or two original songs.”

“Original songs!” “What?” several voices showed disbelief.

“And,” Ryuuji continued, “they want us to make our first pass at recording the songs in three weeks. They have us booked in the big studio on the seventh of October.”

“That’s not much time.” Yuri observed.

“Three weeks?” Suzume’s worried voice came from the cell phone on the table, “I hope you guys have some ideas about writing songs, cause I’m no good at that stuff.”

“Me neither.” Hisako admitted and looked hopefully at Ami.

Ami took a deep breath and exhaled. She didn’t want to do this, but they didn’t have much time. “I’m not any good at it either but I know someone who is.” Looking only at her hands she continued, “Someone who once wrote a whole moving box full of poetry to someone he loved…”

“Ami, no!” Yasuko stood up dislodging Aiko-chan into Yuri’s lap. Yasuko remembered that box and she remembered what happened to it. When they moved from her old place into Ami’s house, Yasuko threw that box away because seeing it might trigger Ryuuji’s depression again. It had been Ami's idea to get rid of it, but Yasuko had agreed… and had put it in the trash bin herself.

“It’s okay, Onee-chan.” Ami surprised her, “I saved the box after all. It’s in the attic.”

“You can’t be serious?” Ryuuji was stunned. He had forgotten about the box over the last several months, but he remembered what kinds of things were in there and… and… “It’s all crap! There’s nothing in there worth singing!” he insisted.

“I am serious.” Ami said, “I read through the notebooks and listened to the music you had in there. Some of your musical selections were… questionable. But the poetry… most of the poetry was good. Real good.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this!” Yuri smiled. She always liked watching a student discover that they had a hidden talent.

“But Ami-chan,” Yasuko felt as if something was being lost as she pointed out, “Ryu-chan wrote those songs about… someone else.” She wanted to scream at her blue haired friend. _You don't have to do this! You shouldn't do this!_ _He belongs with you now._ “It wouldn’t be right.”

“Is this about the Taiga-person?” Hisako asked, her voice expressing concern.

“No,” Ryuuji explained, “before Taiga, I had a crush on Kushieda Minori.”

“Oh, Minori-chan?” Suzume remembered, “I met her the day of the Obon festival, right?” Suzume recalled Minori generally having fun with everyone. It didn't seem like there was a lot of uncomfortable tension while she was there. “So, the two of you broke up?”

“It was unrequited.” Ami said, “There was never a confession. To make a long story short: while pursuing Minori, he fell for Taiga.”

“Unrequited…” Suzume's thoughts wandered off as she thought about her own hopeless unrequited love for Ryuuji. A love that would remain unrequited because she would never do anything to hurt Ami… Suddenly, a thought struck her, “Ami-senpai, are there any songs in the box about unrequited love?”

“Several.” Ami looked over at the cell phone in the middle of the coffee table, “Why?”

“I just think it's something I… um… _all_ of us have felt.” Suzume thought not only of Ryuuji, Ami and Hisako, but everyone in the room, “Something we've all felt at one time or another.”

“Yeah, you're right about that.” Hisako's eyes brightened. She looked over at Ami and could see that her bluenette friend had made the same conclusion. Ami looked back at her and smiled. Hisako hollered to the cell phone, “Suzume, you’re a genius!”

“I'll go get the box!” Ami said.

“I'll help you!” Hisako ran off after her.

“I'm sorry, Ryuuji-sama.” Suzume's voice came from the cell phone. “What you wrote may be very personal to you…”

“No, it's okay.” Ryuuji exhaled, “A lot of angst, and hope, and heartache went into those poems. It will be good if they can be useful to someone.”

“Umeko-san, will you be coming with Suzume-chan this weekend?” Yasuko asked.

“Yes.” Umeko answered from the cell phone.

“Good,” Yasuko’s cheerful voice was back, “we have much to talk about – one Onee-chan to another!”

“That sounds like fun!” Umeko agreed, “But, we have to go now. My little sister may be leaving her school soon, but she does have homework tonight.”

“Awww!” Suzume cried out.

“Bye-bye, Suzume-chan!” everyone in the room called out together.

“Bye-bye everyone!” Suzume sounded a little disappointed, but not too much. Knowing that she would soon be back in Ami’s house with her best friends made her a very happy girl.

.

“So that’s all the agency had to say?” Yasuko was about to get up and start getting Aiko-chan ready for bed.

“Not everything.” Ryuuji told her as Hisako and Ami made it back in the room with the box. Turning to the Taiga-like figure in Yuri’s lap, Ryuuji asked, “Aiko-chan, did you enjoy the singing?”

“Yes,” her little face wrinkled and then she admitted in a disappointed voice, “I wanted to sing with everyone else too though. They only let me sing alone. I didn’t like that.”

“I see.” Ryuuji thought about it. “So, if you had to take lessons alone so that you could sing with Ami-chan, Hisako-chan, and Suzume-chan, would you do it?”

“Alone?” Aiko-chan sounded pitiful as she asked Ryuuji.

“Yasu… your Onee-chan, or Hisako-chan, or I might take you to the lesson, but you would be the only one practicing.” Ryuuji told her the truth. He didn’t want to promise the little girl something he couldn’t deliver. “And when you get good enough, you will sing with the girls, but there will be sometimes that you sing without them too. Would that be okay?”

“Even if… even if I sing alone… you’ll be there with me, won’t you?” Aiko-chan looked around the room at everyone and felt as if they were talking about sending her away.

“Ryu-chan, you’re frightening her!” Yasuko said reprovingly, “What’s going on?”

“The agency believes that Aiko-chan has what it takes to be an idol… with or without Red Black & Blue.” Ryuuji admitted, “They wanted me to see if she was interested in such a thing.”

“An idol?” Aiko-chan’s eyes opened wide. It was exciting but at the same time, it was scary. “I don’t want to do it if I have to be alone!”

“Aiko-chan!” Yasuko turned the panicking girl around so they were almost face to face, “Ryu-chan and I will make sure that you’re never alone, okay?”

“P… p… promise?” Aiko-chan seemed on the verge of tears and the verge of happiness at the same time.

“I promise.” Yasuko told the little girl as she pulled her into a hug, “Ryu-chan will just tell them that if at least one of us can’t be there with you, then you just can’t go.”

“I can do that?” Ryuuji looked up at Ami.

“Sure,” Ami said, “there’s already something like that in Suzume-chan’s contract. Either they’ll accept it, or they won’t. If they don’t accept it, then there’s no contract.”

“I’ll do it!” Aiko-chan was all excited now. “When do I get to start singing?”

“Hold on!” Ryuuji was surprised at Aiko-chan’s sudden enthusiasm, “Before I talk to the agency again, your parents need to agree too.” Worried that the little sprite was setting herself up for some future sadness, he felt he should warn her, “And this isn’t guaranteed either. They want you to take lessons to see if you can do it. You are going to have to work hard on top of your school work if you want to make this work. Are you sure you want to do all that?”

“I want to try.” Aiko-chan was a little more subdued now, but still very excited that she might be doing things with Hisako-senpai, Suzume-senpai, and Ami-senpai soon. “And I promise… to do my best!”

.

**Thursday evening, September 17 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

When the overly large family bath on the first floor was used, it often had several people in it. Tonight was special though. Tonight, there would be only two – and they would have the room to themselves for a long time. Ami had seen to that.

.

Hisako entered the bathroom but stopped just inside the door when she saw Nanako sitting on the stool. Hisako tried to keep a smile on her face but it was difficult when her heart felt like it was being crushed. The last thing she wanted to do was to upset Nanako so she tried her hardest to keep up a peaceful and calm appearance - however, her traitorous eyes began to water as she focused on the purple haired girl in the soft light of the room. At first, her unmoving form gave the appearance of meditation, but as Hisako looked into the cute face, she found Nanako’s purple eyes gazing back, deep into her own purple eyes and she felt her tattered heart break a little more.

Nanako had been waiting patiently for Hisako since she had finishing her studying. Upon hearing her roommate enter the room, she sat up straight and smiled into the mirror at the reflection of the statuesque beauty. She knew that Hisako was in turmoil. Nanako could see the pain in her friends eyes as clearly as she could see the tears start to well up. _Silly girl, you're getting yourself all worked up over nothing._

“So, this is our last night.” Hisako looked away as she said it. _Crap! I didn’t want to say something so sad. Baka!_

“Our last night for what?” Nanako said as she languidly moved into a sitting position.

“Together…” Hisako couldn't finish the sentence. _Nanako, my love. Why are you being so mean to me? Why are you making me say the things I don't even want to think about?_

“You're being silly.” Nanako stood up from the stool and walked over to the raven haired beauty that towered over her. “I don't live that far away from here. I'll still be coming over to Ami's house after school for study sessions. You're always invited over to my place, and I know you'll always come running if I call… unless…”

“Unless?” Hisako felt the fear take her, “Unless what? Unless what?”

“Unless you plan on dumping me just because I'm leaving Ami’s house and moving back to my home.” Nanako teased with a faux pout.

“NO!” Hisako couldn't believe that Nanako would say such a thing. Falling to her knees, she wrapped her arms around Nanako and buried her face in the towel wrapped around Nanako's body. “You're so mean! How could you say something like that? You know how I feel!”

“Shhhh.” Nanako smiled fondly as she caressed the long black hair away from the head that was pressed hard against her. “I'm not being mean. You are being so silly! I'm not going far away at all. We will still be together.”

“No… it won't be the same.” Hisako choked back a sob, “Tomorrow is my last day that I get to accompany you to school and tonight is the last night we will be together here. I don't want you to go, dammit! I really don't want you to go.”

“Hisako, Hisako, Hisako…” Nanako stroked her fingers through the long silky black hair and suggested, “You should stop thinking about what is lost, and start thinking about all the wonderful things ahead of us.”

“Ahead of us,” Hisako looked up into Nanako's face and she asked, “like what?”

“Well, for starters,” Nanako smiled, “Ami-chan has arranged for us to have the family bath all to ourselves this evening.”

“Really?” Hisako's spirits were hopeful but that was just one more thing that would be gone after this night.

“Why don't we hurry up and wash so we can take a nice long relaxing bath together.” Nanako purred, “And, if you feel up to it, we could talk about what we want to do next in our lives.”

“Next…” Hisako swallowed and looked down again. That was always something that scared her. She had lost so much in her life that she was always afraid of what she would lose _next_.

She needed the money so she had lied about Ami to get a job and _next_ she felt awful about it.

 _Next_ , she was blamed for Ami leaving her modeling career.

 _Next,_ was her series of embarrassing tirades in front of producers and reporters.

 _Next,_ was the media backlash at her.

 _Next_ , she lost all her friends.

 _Next_ , she lost most of her jobs.

 _Next_ had not been her friend. Hisako lived in fear of what would come _next_.

She had tried not to think about what might be next with Nanako but it looked like Nanako had been thinking a lot on that topic. The kneeling model's arms held Nanako a little tighter when the only thing that Hisako could think of was how she would be devastated when Nanako would soon step away from her and moved on with her life. _I don’t want to let go. I don’t want to lose her._

“I have daydreamed of lots of exciting and fun things to do.” Nanako sounded almost cheerful in contrast to Hisako's building gloom. Bringing her hand down to Hisako's chin, she pulled the raven haired head around until they were looking into each others eyes again. Then, with a loving and compassionate smile, Nanako said, “But I've already decided that whatever I do… wherever I go… it has to be with you.”

“Eh?” A startled Hisako could barely believe her ears, “With me?”

“Of course,” Nanako's eyes started to get wet now as she watched her friend being beaten and whipped by her own emotional chaos. “How can I enjoy all the fun and exciting things, if you're not there with me?”

“With you?” Hisako looked into Nanako’s eyes and asked with a voice that wavered between disbelief and hope.

“I told you that you were being silly. You keep thinking that everything is falling apart, but that’s not how it is at all… I heard a wonderful quote in World History class that explains how I see it.” Nanako said, “This is not the end. It isn’t even the beginning of the end. It’s only the end of the beginning.”

“Oh Nanako!” Hisako stood and took the smaller girl into her arms. In seconds their arms were wrapped around each other and they were kissing with all the passion they could find. Tears fell as they kissed. Hands and arms held each other tight as they kissed. Nanako's feet dangled a dozen centimeters above the floor as they kissed.

“Hey,” Nanako whispered into the ear that was now next to her mouth, “you know what I'd like to do?”

“What?” a breathless Hisako asked. In her mind she was screaming, _Anything! I'll do anything for you, Nanako! Just say it and your Hisako will make it happen for you! Oh gods, I want to make you as happy as you_ _'ve_ _made me!_

“Remember how you cared for me the first day I was here?” Nanako giggled, “You even had to wash me because I was too weak to do it myself. Do you remember that?”

“How could I forget?” Hisako remembered all too well. She had been alone in the bath with Nanako that time too. The little nymph had made her all kinds of excited. Nanako had been too weak to resist anything Hisako might want to do. And there was a lot that the excited model wanted to do to the marvelously cute little purple haired girl that had been in her arms. With no small effort, she had restrained herself from acting on her desires, but Hisako knew that she would have lost Ami's trust forever if she had done what her lust craved mind wanted to do. There was something else though… a stronger reason. It wasn't just lust she had for the unresisting doll that she had held in her arms, it was more than that. Hisako admitted that they barely knew each other, but she wanted to save this girl… she wanted to protect her… she wanted something that couldn’t be taken or forced. She wanted Nanako’s love.

“I think that's when I fell in love with you.” Nanako said.

“Huh?” Hisako caught her breath. _How long have you been able to read my mind?_

“It's not like I can read your mind or anything.” Nanako said with a smirk.

 _LIAR!_ Hisako was gripped with a sudden fear that Nanako might know just how deeply she felt.

“I could tell, even then.” Nanako confessed as Hisako held her close, “I knew what you wanted to do with me back then… but I wasn't afraid.”

“You knew?” Hisako was mortified. She had worn a carefully constructed mask. A mask that would reveal her helpful side but would hide her deeper emotions and… dark yearnings. Hisako had thought that she had kept it hidden deep inside her so well too.

“Yes,” Nanako closed her eyes and remembered that time, “I could feel it in the trembling of your hands and I could see the longing in your eyes. You wanted to make me your plaything so much…” Nanako caressed Hisako's hands that were trembling even now, “… so much that it was tearing you apart to keep control. Wasn't it?”

“Yes,” Hisako closed her eyes as she admitted her guilt.

“I was completely helpless in your arms.” Nanako smiled as she remembered the feeling… the sensation of knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop Hisako's lascivious side. “I knew that I was powerless to stop you if you lost control. You could have done anything to me. Anything at all – and I couldn't stop you. Do you know how that made me feel?”

 _Scared?_ _Horrible? Defiled? Angry?_ Hisako started to shake with fear. _Oh no, what have I done?_

“I was terrified, but I was excited too!” Nanako admitted her feelings.

“Huh?” Hisako was confused. _Excited? What?_

“I was so amazingly excited!” Nanako held onto her shaking lover, “If you hadn't been trying so hard to hide your feelings, you might have noticed mine.”

“Eh?” Hisako would have been frightened of what Nanako was telling her now if not for the disarming smile on her lips.

“You are so beautiful, it's like you're from another world… and you wanted me. It really felt good to know that someone wanted someone like me, but to think that it would be you? It was like a dream. At first I couldn't believe it but when I saw how hard you were trying to hide it, I knew. I could tell that you were a passionate person.” Nanako moaned more than whispered, “I knew the flames of passion raged inside you like an inferno. If you had tried to take me then, I couldn’t have stopped you… but even if I could, I wouldn’t have. Part of me hoped you would lose control that day. I wanted… I wanted to see how hot the fires burned.”

“Nanako…” Hisako whispered. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. _Nanako, you fool! How can_ _you_ _say this to me? Even at_ _your_ _best,_ _you are_ _no match for me. I could take_ _you_ _any time I wish. I could do whatever I pleased and_ _you_ _wouldn’t even be able to slow me down. What_ _are you_ _thinking by telling me th_ _is_ _? Don’t_ _you_ _know what I am? Don’t_ _you_ _know how dangerous it is to say something like that to someone like me?_ _I am the worst! Oh Nanako,_ _I am a beast…_

“I’m so glad you didn’t though.” Nanako continued, “I got to see the real you. The kind and loving Hisako that no-one else knows about. Everyone else thinks you’re a barely controlled monster, but I know better. I know that you would never hurt me. You would never do something I didn’t want… no matter how much you wanted to do it.”

“No, Nanako-chan… I’m not that nice.” Hisako tried to correct her young friend.

“Yes you are.” Nanako said with complete confidence, “All these nights that we’ve spent in this house, in our room - you could have done anything you wanted… if you had ever let down your own guard.”

“But…”Hisako wanted to protest.

“Shhhh.” Nanako said, “It wasn’t my guard. I was never watchful. I put up no defenses… no walls. You could have had me at any time. It was your own will. Your own control. It was all you.”

_It can’t be me! I’m pathetic! I’m a terrible person! I have such perverted thoughts! I cannot be trusted… I am a monster!_

“It’s because I trust you completely that I feel like I can tell you what I want for my moving-out present from you.” Nanako kissed Hisako’s ear and asked her, “Will you give me whatever I ask for?”

“Yes, Nanako-chan, yes!” Hisako hissed, “Whatever you want…”

“I want you to wash me and take me into to the bath like you did that first day.” Nanako caressed Hisako’s back as she told her what she had been thinking about for a very long time, “I want to be your doll again but this time… no controls, no holding back. I’m still excited, but I’m no longer terrified. I want to know what those fires feel like. I want to burn.”

.

The big family bath was on the first floor. The bed where Ryuuji and Ami were relaxing was on the third floor. They were both in their pajamas, leaning back against the headboard, and trying to get some studying done when they both heard an unmistakable, and now familiar, sound… resonating through the house.

“Nanako-chan seems to be enjoying herself this evening.” Ryuuji tried to sound casual as he pointed out the obvious.

“Yep.” Ami didn’t even look up from her book.

“That’s what… the fifth time?” Ryuuji tried to recall.

“Sixth.” Ami answered with building frustration.

“We should think about getting that room soundproofed.” Ryuuji thought aloud.

“Ryuuji-kun?” Ami still sounded conversational but the use of the suffix made Ryuuji jump. She hadn’t used a suffix on his name much since the Tokyo trip and it’s sudden and deliberate use was raising warning flags for Ryuuji.

“Yes?” Ryuuji thought it best to keep his responses simple since he couldn't tell what mood Ami was in.

“I expect that I’ll be… enjoying myself like that… after we’re married.” Ami blushed but didn’t look away from the book she was reading, “If I don’t… I will be very… very disappointed.”

“Um… yes.” Ryuuji quietly agreed. He still looked somewhat calm on the outside… which was remarkable. On the inside he was screaming. _OH CRAP!_

.

**Friday afternoon, September 18 – High School**

* * *

The classroom was quiet enough that you could almost tell how many students were present from the sounds of the pencils on the answer sheets. That was, unfortunately, more true than it should have been since over a quarter of the class was out sick.

The news had announced that there was now a vaccine. It had been developed and had passed the approval process in America but it was still being tested in Japan and was not yet available. Even when it did become available, there were rumors that it’s development and testing was rushed, so the vaccine wasn’t really effective. Some rumors were saying that the vaccine had terrible side effects and that it was even more dangerous than getting the flu itself. Other rumors said it would be too expensive for everyone to get - or it was so difficult to make that there would be a long waiting list for normal people while only the lucky and the rich got it first.

It was difficult to listen to all these rumors. Some parts of the rumors felt true though. Ami and Ryuuji’s friends knew that the only reason they got the vaccine was because they knew someone influential and they… were lucky. They felt guilty every time one of their classmates started showing symptoms or was suddenly absent due to ‘illness’ - but there was little they could do about it. The one thing they could do was try to dispel the rumors. Even that was difficult for them. It was hard to convince a mob of people that the rumors were untrue without admitting that you were one of the ‘lucky’ ones that already had the protection of the vaccine. Then again, the vaccine that they had all received from the Major might not be the final version and they might not be protected at all.

It was difficult to concentrate on the mock exams when all these thoughts were circling around in their heads, but they all did their best. As usual, Ryuuji had finished his test and was waiting for the time to run out for everyone else. He had just checked the end time written on the chalkboard against the time on the wall clock when there was a commotion from the hallway and the sound of crying. Ryuuji looked up to Yuri and she motioned for him to bring his test paper to her.

“Find out what’s going on and come right back.” Yuri whispered to him as she took his test papers. She knew that he was itching to find out what was going on and would try to help if he could. _There he goes again. Off to someones rescue. He doesn’t know what the problem is or who is in trouble, but he’ll do it. He’ll try to rescue them because that’s who he is._ She watched the young man leave the room and remembered the times that he had rescued her. She fondly recalled the memories of each time he had carried her when she couldn’t carry herself. She thought about how he had pulled her back from self-destructive self-doubt. She also remembered how she was initially scared of him and had tried hard to keep some distance between herself and the dangerous looking teenage boy. _When did it all change? Was it on the bullet train to Tokyo?_ A memory of Yamada Yukiko, the hotel manager in Tokyo who had become their friend, came drifting back to her.

“ _That young man loves you and reveres you as he does his own mother. Distance yourself from that affection at your own peril.”_ Yamada-san had been quite direct in her brief discussion of the student – teacher relationship that she observed. Sure, she had teased Yuri, but she never suggested that there was a lapse of ethics or propriety between them.

An alarm on her desk distracted her from thinking of Ryuuji and that wonderful Tokyo trip. She called out to the class, “Time! Pencils down and pass all the test papers forward.” Ryuuji came back in the room with a worried expression and approached Yuri, while the papers were still being collected. Since Hisako didn’t have much else to do, she assisted with the collection of the test papers and was at Yuri’s desk when Ryuuji came back.

“A student in classroom 3-B collapsed during their exam.” Ryuuji told Yuri quietly. “Their sensei left for the nurse, but everyone in the classroom is afraid to go near…” He didn’t need to finish the sentence. They had seen this before. Those who actually looked sick were shunned because of the fear of the contagion. Because the fear was justified, it was hard to be angry with the friends and classmates that backed away from the sick and suffering. Indeed, the disgust was turning the other way. Classmates, parents, and even teachers had been sympathetic at first, and had been begging the sick not to go to school and spread the pandemic, but there were always those that believed the ridiculous sick masks actually worked and would push themselves to be in class. With every announcement on the news of another person dying from the pandemic, the initial sympathy was turning into anger.

“I’ll go.” Hisako offered. It looked like Ryuuji and Yuri were both about to object and Hisako was getting ready to defend her offer when they heard Nanako’s quiet voice.

“We’ll go.” Nanako stepped up next to Hisako and took her hand, “I’m tired of feeling useless. Please, sensei?”

“Nanako-chan,” Yuri was almost whispering, “we don’t yet know if what we have is effective. You may be exposing yourself to re-infection.”

“I know,” Nanako gave her enigmatic smile and squeezed Hisako’s hand, “but I feel like I can trust what the Major brought us and I feel like I need to… do something.”

“Please, Yuri-chan.” Hisako added her voice to the appeal. “I hate feeling so… helpless.”

“Yes.” Yuri hated the feeling of uselessness too and sympathized with the girls. “Nanako-chan, tell the nurse to contact me if she needs help. That is… if you think you two are up to it?”

“Four,” Ryuuji said before Nanako could answer, “you can count on Ami and me too.”

“They are good girls.” Yuri said to Ryuuji as they watched the tall black haired girl and the short purple haired girl walk out of the classroom together.

“Yes,” Ryuuji was glad that they had found happiness in each other, “yes they are.” He was shocked out of his reverie when his cell phone went off to indicate that he had a text message.

“Ryuuji-kun, if you are going to get so many messages from the agency while you are at school…” she had to stop because her own phone was also going off. “Hello?” she answered. Unlike the generation of kids she was teaching, she was still unused to the idea of looking at the phone’s little screen to see who it was, before answering.

“Hello beautiful!” an accented voice poured out of her phone and almost turned her to mush.

“Major!” Yuri sat down hard in her seat but was now glued to her phone.

“I have good news.” there was a lot of background noise wherever the Major was, “The vaccines we had last month are good.”

“So, they’re the same thing the Ministry of Health is approving now?” Yuri asked.

“Not quite.” the Major explained, “the version that the Ministry chose to use is a derivative that is more easily mass produced and has fewer side effects.”

“Side effects?” Yuri didn’t remember having any side effects.

“Nothing serious,” the Major said, “headache, nausea, the urge to get married in the snow, and an inexplicable need to get back rubs from male students.”

“Major!” Yuri blushed. Her reaction was what he expected and she thought she could hear him laughing all the way from Okinawa. Yuri pouted, “Really, sometimes you are just too mean to me.”

“You’re blushing aren’t you?” the Major asked but he didn’t wait for an answer, “I wish I was there to kiss you right now. I do so love to kiss you when you’re blushing.”

“Major…” Yuri whined. Now she wanted him here too. To be kissed by him again… To be held in his arms again…

“I have to go now.” Yuri could hear the background noises getting louder, “I just wanted to call and tell you the good news… and that I love you.”

“Ah! I…” the Major had caught her off guard again. It was so like him to be able to say something like that so suddenly. She took a deep breath and said, “I love you too!” She listened, but there was nothing on the line. She hoped she hadn’t waited too long and that he had heard her last message. Looking up she saw that all the students in her class had apparently heard her. Most of them were smiling at their blushing teacher.

“I have a message from Maya-chan.” Ryuuji said loud enough for the whole class to hear, “Noto-kun will be discharged from the hospital this weekend and should be back in class on Monday.” The deafening cheer in the classroom could be heard down the hall.

“Sensei,” Ryuuji said as the cheering came down a little, “Ami and I have to go now. We have to get to Aiko-chan’s school and sign some papers.”

“Eh?” Yuri believed Ryuuji but couldn't figure out what kind of papers he would need to sign for somebody else's child.

“Yasuko talked to Aiko-chan’s mother today and she has agreed to the contract.” Ryuuji explained, “The school wants us to come sign ID cards so we can take her out of school on performance days.” Even as he finished the explanation, Ami was at Yuri’s desk and had already packed up Ryuuji’s things in his bag.

“Go on. I’ll let the office know.” Yuri smiled, “And don’t forget Nanako's going away party tonight!”

“We won’t!” Ami waved as she flew out the door behind Ryuuji.

Haruta was toward the back of the room and cheering with the others about the good news that was just announced. He would be visiting Noto at the hospital tonight anyway, but he looked forward to seeing him in school again. Haruta was even more hopeful that they might be released early. After all, Yuri-sensei had let Nanako-chan and Hisako-san go. Now she just let Takasu-kun and Ami-chan go. His hopes for an early dismissal were soaring.

“All right class,” Yuri got their attention once again, “let’s review all the questions that Haruta-kun missed on the last exam, shall we?”

“GROOOOOOAN!”

“Yuri-sensei!” a shattered Haruta cried out in disbelief, “That’s totally not fair!”

.

**Friday afternoon, September 18 – Kabanoki Elementary School**

* * *

“Aiko-chan, are you sure you’re okay with this?” Ami asked the little girl walking between her and Ryuuji. She had surrendered her backpack to Ryuuji and was holding their hands as they walked the short distance to Ami’s house.

“Yeah, I can’t wait!” Aiko-chan cheered. But she saw the concern on Ami’s face when she turned to the teenager, “Why Ami-senpai?” You don’t want me to sing any more?”

“No no no!” Ami choked, “I do still want you to sing, but I saw how much fun you’re having in your class and… well… I’d hate to pull you out of class if you’re finally having fun at school.”

“But I can have fun at school and I can have fun with you too, can’t I?” Aiko-chan asked innocently.

“Aiko-chan,” Ryuuji said, “I looked it up and a lot of work goes into being an idol. It’s okay to want it, but don’t let it eat you up. If it starts to be too much, just tell me and I’ll fix it. Okay?”

“Okay, Ryuuji-sama!” Aiko-chan didn’t know how hard it would be, but however hard it was, it couldn’t be any worse than it had been for her to go to her old school every day. With renewed energy she cried out, “I’ll do my best!”

“Good girl!” Ryuuji cheered her. She skipped along the sidewalk while she held Ami and Ryuuji’s hands for a bit. After she had calmed down, Ryuuji told her, “Now Aiko-chan, I have to talk to you about something… and it’s serious.”

“What?” Aiko-chan sounded fearful, “Did I do something wrong?”

“No sweetie,” Ami knew what Ryuuji was going to talk about. Remembering the meltdown at the train station, Ami dreaded this conversation. But Ryuuji was right to try and tackle this before they got home. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that… Ryuuji has to tell you something and you need to listen to him!”

“Eh?” Ryuuji looked over at his girlfriend in disbelief. _Did_ _you_ _really just throw_ _me_ _under the bus like that?_

“Ryuuji-sama?” Aiko-chan got his attention again.

“Do you remember when Suzume-chan had to go home?” Ryuuji asked.

“Yes.” Aiko-chan remembered the sadness of that day even now.

“I was away buying… something, but I heard you were pretty upset.” Ryuuji said.

“I was. I really like Suzume-chan and I didn’t want her to go.” Aiko-chan defended her feelings.

“Well, tonight there is going to be a party for Nanako-chan.” Ryuuji hurried on before the little girl got the wrong idea and her emotions went on a roller-coaster ride. “It’s a getting-well and going-away party for her. She is going to be well enough to move back to her home and she will be leaving Ami’s house.”

“No!” Aiko-chan looked stricken.

“But Nanako-chan doesn’t live far away and we’ll still be seeing a lot of her!” Ami quickly said before the little girl could burst into tears.

“Promise?” Aiko-chan asked Ami.

“Ami can’t really promise that.” Ryuuji said, “But Nanako is always invited over and she wants to see us as much as we want to see her.”

“If she wants to see us so much, why is she leaving?” Aiko-chan sniffed.

“She was only staying with us so we could take care of her while she was getting well.” Ryuuji explained. “She has a home and a mother that loves her and she hasn’t been home in a long time.”

“I guess it’s okay then.” Aiko-chan was obviously saddened. “I was just hoping we could all be together again.”

“There will always be changes,” Ryuuji said, “some people might move out of your life and others may move in. But, just because someone moves out, it doesn’t mean they’re not your friend anymore. It just means you have to try harder to keep in touch with the good friends you have made.”

Ryuuji and Ami were thinking about what he had just said as much as the grade schooler between them was. They both knew that in less than half a year, they would be graduating from High School and a lot of the friends that were close now, would be far away. Even now, Ryuuji’s best friend for the last two years was in America and he had done nothing to keep in touch with that friend. _Tch!_ Ryuuji mentally jabbed himself for being such a lousy friend. He vowed to write a letter to Kitamura as soon as he got home.

“I guess,” Aiko-chan still sounded sad but knowing that Nanako-chan would still be close enough to visit did help.

“There are… two more changes, Aiko-chan.” Ryuuji told the startled girl, “a sad one and a happy one.”

“Ah!” Aiko-chan looked mad, “I don’t want another sad one! Why does there have to be another sad one? I’m already sad enough!”

“Hey!” Ami sounded annoyed, “You want to be a model or an idol, right?”

“Yes?” Aiko-chan sounded confused and was a little upset that she had annoyed Ami.

“Sometimes a model has to take the bad news and accept it. Some times you have to go on stage when you don’t feel ready, or wear clothes that you don’t like, or work when you would rather be playing with your friends.” Ami rattled off to little Aiko-chan, then asked the little girl, “Are you going to be one of those people that’s hard to work with because she acts like a spoiled brat and throws tantrums if everything doesn’t go her way?”

“No, Ami-senpai!” Aiko-chan promised, “I’ll be good, you’ll see!”

“All right then,” Ami said in a kinder voice, “listen to your Ryuuji-sama now and see what he has to say. When he is finished, it is okay to be sad. You can even cry if you really need to. But no tantrums, okay?”

“Yes, senpai!” Aiko-chan turned to Ryuuji and he could see the thin veneer of determination over the fear of failure after hearing more bad news.

After the strong words from Ami, Ryuuji could see that she was close to despair. Her tears were only a moment away. He stopped walking and knelt in front of Aiko-chan. “Come here.” He held out his arms and she moved in as if for a hug. As she moved close, he put his hand on the back of her head and guided her face into his shirt where her eyes would be hidden from view.

“Ryuuji-sama?” Aiko-chan felt strangely comfortable like this.

“Yuri-sensei will be leaving Ami’s house tomorrow.” He said it as tenderly as he could. For a moment, he thought she had been able to take this news but her shoulders started trembling and he knew the tears were coming now. Her small hands held onto his shirt as she cried into his collar and chest. True to her word, it was a quiet cry and nothing resembling a tantrum.

“After she moves out, you can have her bed and you can still share the room with Onee-chan.” Ami offered.

“I… I can’t sleep with Onee-chan any more?” Aiko-chan wailed.

 _ **Thwang!!**_ Ami felt as if an arrow had been shot through her heart for suggesting that Aiko-chan take Yuri’s bed. She realized how dismally she had thought that through now.

“I’m pretty sure Yas… Onee-chan will let you sleep with her as long as you like.” Ryuuji smiled, “Ami was just saying that you could have that bed if you wanted it.”

“Oh,” Aiko-chan sniffled, “thank you, senpai.” After another minute, Aiko-chan let go of Ryuuji's shirt and took a step back. After taking a deep breath, she looked up to Ryuuji and announced, “I’m ready to go home now.”

“Oh?” Ryuuji looked puzzled, “Don’t you want to hear the good news now?”

“I thought getting my own bed was supposed to be the good news.” Aiko-chan sniffed.

 _ **Thwang!!**_ Ami felt another arrow pierce her. _Dammit! Is_ _this kid_ _trying to hurt me?_

“No,” Ryuuji laughed, “I guess that wasn’t such good news after all was it?”

 _ **Th**_ _ **unk**_ _ **!!**_ This time the arrow felt like a spear going right through her. Ami was beginning to feel a little unbalanced from all the emotional wounds. _Et tu Ryuuji?_

“So, what is the good news?” Aiko-chan asked.

“Suzume-chan is coming back.” Ryuuji smiled as he watched Aiko-chan’s expression explode with happiness.

“To visit?” Aiko-chan held on to Ryuuji's hands and was bouncing on her toes in excitement.

“To stay.” Ryuuji corrected Aiko-chan’s assumption much to the little girl’s delight. She was now jumping up and down as Ryuuji told her, “She will be moving into the room with Hisako-chan and she’ll be going to a local middle school.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” Aiko-chan was cheering as she danced around Ryuuji.

Ryuuji looked over to Ami and was instantly confused. _Why is Ami looking so ragged when Aiko-chan is finally happy? Girls… even when you think you know one pretty well, they are still such a mystery._

  



	27. Recovery

**Friday night, September 18 – Hospital**

* * *

Noto heard a beautiful voice. It wasn't calling to him so much as providing a background of comforting sounds for his foggy mind. He could understand the confusion in his mind; the transition from being a living human to being an incorporeal spirit or soul had to be at least a little disconcerting. Perhaps the voice was from an angel reciting a litany.

 _CRAP!_ Noto wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He had taken a breath and experienced an incredible amount of pain in his chest. _Do spirits breathe? If I'm incorporeal, why do I have a chest? CRAP! And why does it have to hurt this much?_ The pain was at least helping him to clear a way through the fog a little faster.

 _MAYA! Where is she? She died with me… I have to find her!_ He tried to look around but the world he was in was blurry and dark. And there was the horrible rending pain with every intake of breath… _Did I go to hell?_

“Noto?” the background voice stopped its peaceful litany and was now addressing him directly. “Noto-kun, are you awake?” The voice sounded excited, hopeful, and… so familiar. So rich and full… a voice he desperately wanted to hear but at the same time was saddened.

 _Oh Maya, I'm so sorry! You could have had such a wonderful life if you hadn't become involved with me. I'm so sorry it's led to this. How can you ever forgive me?_ Noto still couldn't see her but he felt that her presence was near. He could hear her so clearly now.

“Doctor, doctor!” Maya hollered, “I think he's waking up!” Haruta moved over to the hospital bed and looked at the resting body.

“What makes you think…” Haruta was asking when the doctor walked into the room.

“I can feel him squeezing my hand!” Maya said excitedly.

“Involuntary reactions to certain stimuli can…” the doctor was about to dismiss the interruption and get back to his rounds when Haruta interrupted him.

“Dude!” Haruta leaned in close to verify what he had seen, “He's crying!”

“What?” the doctor moved over to the bed and made some observations. Seeing the grip that the dark orange haired girl had on his patients hand, he told her, “Keep talking to him. Use his name a lot. See if you notice another response.”

“Noto-kun, I'm here with you.” Maya said as her own tears started to fall.

_I know you are. We died together. Wait… why are you talking to a doctor and why is Haruta here?_

“Hisako and I came as soon as we could.” Maya didn't know what to say so she was just rattling off what was on her mind at the moment.

_Hisako? Is she dead too? How many of us are dead now? And why does my chest hurt so much?_

“I wish I had come sooner.” Maya sobbed as she remembered that terrible night, “Oh Noto, there was so much blood. … so much blood.”

_Yes, my sweet Maya. There was so much blood on the floor around you. I hope you did not suffer too much._

“Hisako showed me what to do.” Maya remembered Hisako slapping the sense back into her when she was about to lose herself to panic, but she wasn't going to mention that part. “Then she saved your cousin while I was with you.”

_But you weren't with me… you were down the hall in a pool of blood, all by yourself. Oh Maya I'm so sorry you had to die all alone like that. I'm so sorry!_

“He's crying more now.” Haruta pointed out.

“I see that.” the doctor said. Without looking at her, he encouraged Maya, “Keep talking to him.”

_Wait… Hisako tried to save_ _my cousin…_ _Noriko? I can't even imagine that._ _It would be easier to believe that she used Noriko like a piñata…_

“Shinako-san is doing much better, but she is still in the Intensive Care Unit.” Maya stopped her rambling when she felt the much stronger grip on her hand. “Doctor, doctor! He's really squeezing my hand now!”

“Yes, it looks like he is coming around now.” the doctor said as he looked at the different displays in the room. The doctor tried not to show it but he was concerned. Noto was returning to consciousness more quickly than had been anticipated. While that was an indication that Noto's health and recovery were in good shape, it meant that he would be in more pain than if he had slept for another day.

 _Shinako-san? Shinako? Why would Hisako need to save Shinako? Oh no…_ Noto realized his error. He felt great relief and great anguish at the same time. Noto knew then that the body on the floor was not his beloved Maya. It was his trusted and reliable cousin Shinako. _Please recover from this Shinako-san! I don't know how I would be able to_ _forgive myself_ _if something were to happen to you because of me._

.

**Sunday afternoon, September 20 – Sudoh Bucks coffee shop**

* * *

Yasuko and Umeko sat under one of the sidewalk umbrella's at the café. There were only two days left until the official end of summer and the temperature was nice, even in the afternoon. Both of Suzume’s onee-chans left the younger but taller girl to finish unpacking and get settled in with the help of her friends. Together, Yasuko and Umeko had decided that it was time for them to take a break from a very busy weekend. They each had their own reasons for needing the break.

Umeko was sad that her little sister was moving out. She remembered how much she had balked at having to take care of Suzume soon after landing the job with the Shinkansen's Green Car. But that had been several years ago and she had become very close to her sister. She fondly recalled all of the times that she and her sister teased, and fought, and laughed, and cried together. Every treasured memory was circling through Umeko's mind as she gazed into the dark swirls of her coffee. It was more difficult letting Suzume go than she thought it would be.

“Umeko-chan?” Yasuko asked, “Are you still worried about your sister?”

“Yeah.” Umeko admitted, “She's a brat, but she's a good kid and… I'm going to miss her.”

“Will you just miss having her around or are you still worried about her going to far away places?” Yasuko asked.

“Both, I guess. Mostly, I'm still worried about her leaving Japan.” Umeko looked down at her hands, “I guess I still think of her as my little sister and I can't get over the idea that she's just too young to be doing that. I talked to some of my coworkers though – and they thought I was being silly.”

“They did?” Yasuko was surprised to hear Umeko admit that.

“Yeah,” Umeko lightly laughed, “apparently some schools are doing their trips to places like Russia, Korea, Taiwan, and even Hawaii. So, I guess it isn't so strange to let her go after all.”

“So, you don't want her to move away?” Yasuko said gently.

“No,” tears started sliding down Umeko's cheeks as she replied, “She's my little sister and I got used to having her with me, but… I don't want to make her sad either.”

“I promise to take real good care of her!” Yasuko said as she held one of Umeko's hands.

“I feel better knowing that she will still have an Onee-chan to rely on.” Umeko tried to smile.

“You know…” Yasuko knew how proud Umeko was of being Suzume's older sister. Even though it pained her to admit this, she was sure it would make Umeko feel better, “You do know that you are the only real Onee-chan here, right?”

“Huh?” Umeko seemed genuinely surprised, “Oh right! I keep forgetting that you're really…” Umeko didn't finish the sentence. She could see something in Yasuko's expression that made her worry a bit. “Hey… um… Yasuko?”

“Yeah?” Yasuko seemed suddenly embarrassed.

“I heard that you like thinking of yourself as the Onee-chan because it makes you feel young.” Umeko could see Yasuko was uncomfortable with this conversation but she could also see that something was bothering her blond friend. “That's all it is, right?”

“Yeah, sure.” Yasuko sounded like she was trying to dismiss it, “What else could it be?”

“I don't know,” Umeko looked into Yasuko's face and could see that her lips were trembling like she was fighting back tears, “but you're the one that asked me to come out and talk Onee-chan to Onee-chan, so why don't you tell me.”

“We can't talk Onee-chan to Onee-chan after all, can we?” Yasuko looked up. Her wet eyes could now be seen as she said, “I'm not a real Onee-chan am I? I'm just a fake. … just a fake.”

“What?” Umeko didn't know where this was coming from. Yasuko had always seemed so firmly grounded if a little air-headed. “Yasuko-chan, how can you say that?”

“It's true!” Yasuko was crying now, “I'm not a good mother. I'm not a real older sister. I was a bad daughter. I… I'm nothing.”

“No, no that isn't true!” Umeko was now holding Yasuko's hands as she told her, “There is a house full of people back there that are thrilled to call you their Onee-chan!”

“But it isn't true! I'm not a real Onee-chan to anyone.” Yasuko cried.

“Onee-chan is only a title. It can be given because of a number of reasons… tradition, duty, respect, and love are just a few.” Umeko told the sobbing woman, “So what if you didn't get it because you are a real older sister. You have to be special to be called Onee-chan from respect and love. You have to earn that right. And for someone who isn't blood related to earn it… you have to be very very special.”

“Really?” Yasuko choked back another sob, “Do you think… that's what Ryu-chan thinks?”

“Huh?” Umeko hadn't anticipated this. “What do you mean?”

“Sometimes I wonder what he thinks of me.” Yasuko said softly, “I haven't been a very good mother to him, you know?”

“Yasuko-chan, that's just not right!” Umeko gasped. She was stunned by this sudden confession of doubt and wasn't sure if she was good enough friends with Yasuko to be having this conversation. Still, she felt she had to do what she could, “I haven't known you that long and I don't know you as well as I'd like to yet… but I don't see it that way. I don't see it that way at all!”

“Huh?” Yasuko looked up at Umeko.

“Haven't you always been there for him?” Umeko pushed, “I mean all the times when he needed his mother, you were there for him, right?” Umeko knew she was taking a chance. Not knowing Ryuuji and Yasuko's history, there could very well be a hole in the logic she was using, but she had a feeling she knew what kind of relationship this mother and son had before she asked the question.

“Um, yeah… I guess so.” Yasuko agreed.

“Look at him!” Umeko urged, “He's grown into a fine young man that inspires confidence and trust. What more could any parent ask for? I think you've done a great job raising him.”

“But…” Yasuko still had her doubts.

“No!” Umeko interrupted her, “Yasuko-chan, if you still have any uncertainty – you should talk to Ryuuji-san directly.”

“Maybe I should…” Yasuko wanted to believe that she had been a good mother. It had always bothered her that she wasn't a very good cook. Also, she had used her late night work schedule as an excuse for relying on her son for cooking and cleaning far too often. _A good mother wouldn’t do that, would she?_

“Promise me that you will.” Umeko demanded as she looked into Yasuko's eyes while holding her hands.

“I promise.” Yasuko smiled weakly, “I promise I'll talk to Ryu-chan about… this.”

“Good,” Umeko said with finality, “I'm sure you'll feel better afterwards. I am already confident that he'll set you straight and wipe away all your doubts and fears.”

“Thank you,” Yasuko smiled fully now, “and thank you for listening to me.”

“Of course I'll listen to you. And you'll listen to me too, right?” Without waiting for an answer, she winked at Yasuko and said, “After all, we Onee-chans have to stick together!”

.

**Monday morning, September 21 – Kyujosho Middle School**

* * *

Suzume felt odd walking to her new school with the High Schoolers. She wasn't uncomfortable with it, in fact she was quite happy to have them along on her first day at the school. But still, it was a bit odd. Turning to look at them, she realized that half of them weren't really High Schoolers after all. Besides Ami and Ryuuji, she was also accompanied by Yasuko and Hisako. All four of them were along to have their ID's recorded by the administration office so they could pull her out of school for work related events, when necessary.

“I wish I had made it back in time for Nanako's going away party.” Suzume said wistfully.

“Me too,” Hisako groaned, “Aiko-chan would have been a lot happier if you had been around. I swear, that kid could fill a small pool with her tears!”

“She wasn't the only one crying.” Ryuuji pointed out. “Oof!” he grunted as he was hit by both Hisako and Ami.

“Hey, we'll all miss Nanako-chan around the house, but she isn't that far away, right?” Yasuko tried to raise everyone's spirits, “She'll be over lots, so it's not so bad.”

Ryuuji looked over at Hisako and could see that his mother's comforting words didn't help that much. He knew that it was tough when the one you love can't be near you. Instead of commenting directly on Nanako, he asked his mother about the other recent departure, “How often can Yuri-sensei come by?”

“Oh.” Yasuko looked a little sad now, “Not as often as I'd like.”

“You and Yuri-sensei got pretty close, huh?” Ami asked Yasuko.

“Yeah,” Yasuko said wistfully, “we really did.”

“I guess, that's how Hisako-chan feels about Nanako-chan.” Ryuuji offered. Hisako started to glare at Ryuuji but she could see that the comment wasn’t made as an insult after all. In fact, after getting over her initial defensive reaction, she knew that there had been only sympathy behind the words.

“Well,” Suzume suggested, “whenever you want Nanako-chan to stay over, I can sleep in Onee-chan and Aiko-chan's room.”

“Oh no!” Hisako was surprised by Suzume's offer, “I don't want to make you leave your own room…”

“No no no, it's okay!” Suzume cheerfully insisted, “For me it will be like a sleepover with my big sister and my little sister!” She genuinely sounded very excited about the idea.

“Oh Suzume-chan,” Yasuko gushed, “I think that's a great idea!” Of course, anything was a great idea when Yasuko got to be the big sister again.

Ryuuji looked around while the girls were chatting and noticed that there were a lot of middle school students in the area, but keeping their distance from the teens. It was almost as if someone had put up a magical barrier and the other students couldn’t come within six meters of him. _Oh yeah, they're keeping their distance from me._ Reaching into his pocket, he fished out the mirror-shades and put them on.

Ami noticed Ryuuji putting his shades on and wondered what was going on. She then noticed the distance between their little group and all the other middle school students on their way to school. With a smirk, she leaned into Ryuuji and took his arm as they continued to walk along.

Ryuuji was used to walking with Ami on his arm now and it didn't distract him from inconspicuously looking at the middle school students around them. Of course, they would be in a different uniform than what Suzume's school in Tokyo had used. The uniform that Suzume was wearing was a dark and light blue plaid skirt with a matching bow tie on a short sleeve white blouse. The girls around them now were wearing one piece pastel yellow jumper skirts. As he concentrated on the uniforms, he could hear some of the comments around them.

“Who are they?”

“Why are High School students walking this way? Their school is the other way.”

“Are they delinquents?”

“Isn't that Kawashima Ami?”

“Who?”

“She's a model.”

“No way!”

“Why are they coming this way?”

Ryuuji was noticing a slight difference in the uniforms these girls were wearing. Some had green scarves, some had blue, and a few had red. Not too far away, there was a girl wearing one of the few red scarves and walking alone. Although keeping her distance like the others, she didn't seem to be paying attention and was reading a book as she walked along.

“Hey Suzume,” Ryuuji gestured over to the girl he had singled out, “go ask her what the red scarf means.”

Suzume looked around at the other students and now saw what Ryuuji had noticed. With a smile, she skipped the small distance over to the girl that was walking alone. Once they were walking next to each other, it was almost a comedic sight. The girl in the red scarf barely came up to the tall red head's shoulder. Suzume didn't just barge in on the shorter girl's reading though. She walked next to the shorter girl and waited to be noticed. It only took a few more steps before the bookish girl noticed something was different and looked up at the giant looking down at her.

“Eep!” she squeaked.

“Hi there!” Suzume said cheerfully, “I'm Minami Suzume and I'll be starting at your school today.”

“Um, okay?” the girl still sounded startled.

“I was wondering what the red scarf means.” Suzume pointed to the scarf around the girl's neck. While they were talking, Suzume's friends walked closer until their group was right behind Suzume and the shorter girl.

“Red scarves mean third years.” the girl's voice betrayed her nervousness, “Blue scarves are for second years and green scarves are for first years.”

“Oh yay, I get to wear a red scarf!” Suzume preened.

 _This girl is a middle school third year?_ The stunned schoolgirl wondered. _She’s huge!_ _Is she a repeater?_ _Was she in a com_ _a_ _for ten years?_

“Oh yeah,” Suzume had noticed something else on the girl's uniform. Unlike the other students around, she had a small pin on her blouse collar, “What does the silver star mean?”

“I… I'm in the advanced class.” Suddenly, the girl remembered her manners and said, “Oh… my name is Ueda Umeki.”

“No way!” Suzume startled the girl with her outburst, “My sister's name is Umeko.”

“Really?” Umeki noticed the other four that were following close behind for the first time. Wondering if one of them might be the aforementioned sister, she asked, “Is you sister coming to our school too?”

“No,” Suzume told her proudly, “She is a stewardess on the Shinkansen's Green Car.”

“Really?” Umeki was impressed but wondered why the curvy blond and the three tall teens were following them. She did recognize two of them wearing Ohashi High School livery… or at least it looked like it might be. The summer uniforms were harder to nail down than the winter ones. Glancing at what Suzume was wearing, Umeki decided that the dark and light blue plaid skirt with matching tie must be a school uniform as well… just not one she was familiar with. _So she’s in school now – so she didn’t just come out of a coma… at least not recently. This isn’t a local change or I would recognize the uniform._ _Her accent isn’t unusual to me, so she didn’t come from too far away. I wonder if she came out from Tokyo? No way! Why would anyone leave Tokyo to come out here?_ _What an interesting girl._

“Hey, I wonder if I'll be in your class?” Suzume wondered as they all turned through the gates to go into the school.

“Maybe.” Umeki thought it would be nice if Suzume ended up in classroom 3A. Her class had the students that generally scored in the top twenty percent so it wouldn't be impossible. However, Suzume didn't look or act like the studious type so Umeki rather doubted it. _Of course, looks can be deceiving._ Umeki warned herself. _Perhaps it is best if she isn’t_ _in my class_ _._ Umeki decided, _she looks like the kind of person that might shake things up a lot and I don’t know if I need that in my life right now. Just a half a year more here in middle school then maybe I’ll be ready for things to change when I get to High School._ _I wonder if she’ll still want to talk to me if we end up in different classes?_

.

“Attention class,” the teacher called out to the students as their first break was ending, “I'd like to introduce you to a new student in our school.”

Umeki looked up as a confident Suzume walked into the classroom. _Wow, she really did make it into my class._

“Hello, my name is Minami Suzume. I just moved here from Tokyo, so please take care of me.” Suzume's eyes found Umeki and she became visibly excited.

 _Oh no, please Suzume… don’t make a scene!_ Umeki was becoming concerned as the tall girl actually waved at her from the front of the room. While smiling and waving back, Umeki also wanted to hide from the rest of her classmates. At the same time that she was worried that Suzume might be drawing too much attention to her, Umeki was proud of herself for deducing that Suzume was from Tokyo. The two emotions brought a slight blush to her face.

“Welcome Minami-san,” a boy toward the back of the class smiled but looked as if he was challenging her, “can you tell us something about yourself. Maybe something about what you did over your summer break?”

“Sure…” Suzume was about to start when the boy interrupted her.

“We get bored easily, so can you do it in only ten words?” the boy’s smile looked more like a sneer now.

Suzume was pretty sure she wasn't going to get along with this boy. A look at the pained expression on Umeki's face made her certain of it. Suzume gave the boy a quick appraising look as she thought of her response. _Average height. Thin arms and legs. Not athletic. It appears that he actually cultivates the bookish look. So, he is probably an intellectual bully._ Suzume smiled inside with her next thought, _I can take him._

“Tokyo shopping, modeling, Okinawa beaches, horseback riding, weightlessness, supersonic jets, rescue mission. Hmmm, seems I'm a few words over.” Seeming perplexed, she looked up at the boy that had made the rules and asked, “I don't know… which two words do you think I should have left out?”

“Everything after shopping.” his sneer was still present as he said, “Everything else sounded like a wish list… or a lie.” A few students near the boy laughed quietly. It disturbed them that Suzume’s confident smile was not only unshaken, it was starting to look feral.

“Oh,” Suzume had allowed her smile to move from feral to predatory now, “but it's true.”

“You're a model?” a girl near the front of the room asked.

“Yes.” Suzume answered politely if briefly.

“I've never heard of you.” another girl near the sneering boy said. Some whispering started up in the classroom but quieted again when everyone's attention was drawn to a knock at the doorway. The teacher waved the unseen figure into the room.

The class quieted even more when they saw a very scary looking man walk past Suzume and greet the teacher. Umeki noticed that Suzume’s smile broadened and she bit her lip as the scary man passed behind her on his way to the teacher’s desk. The scary man spoke softly enough that most of his words couldn't be heard but everyone seemed to hear when he said, “… misunderstanding…”

“Certainly,” the teacher replied, “if you think it will help.”

Ryuuji turned and waved to the doorway and more people came into the room. Yasuko walked over to the teacher and introduced herself while Ami and Hisako went to Suzume and chatted quietly with her. From behind the mirror-shades, Ryuuji watched as one student after another recognized Kawashima Ami and a few of them were figuring out who the dark haired girl was too. In very little time, the hushed whispers carried the news to everyone in the classroom. The sneer was gone from the boy in the back now. Without the new arrivals saying a word to the class, he had been beaten. He seemed only bitter now. Ryuuji smiled as he watched the mood change. Almost everyone now seemed eager to get to know their new classmate.

When Yasuko finished her brief discussion with the teacher, the friends hugged Suzume and left the classroom. Ryuuji stood by the door for a minute to make sure Suzume would be okay.

“Okay,” the teacher announced, “Let's find you a place to sit.”

“If it isn't any trouble, can I sit next to Umeki-chan?” Suzume gestured to the short bookish girl she had met earlier in case there was more than one Umeki in the room.

“Eh!” Umeki gasped at the sudden attention she was getting from her own classmates.

“Oh, do you know Ueda-san?” the teacher asked.

“We just met this morning, but I'm sure we're going to be great friends!” Suzume gushed in her usual ebullient manner.

.

**Monday morning, September 21 – Ohashi High School**

* * *

As they left the middle school, Hisako's cell phone chimed to indicate she got a text message. She was disappointed when she saw that the message was not from Nanako. Of course, she was at least a little disappointed with any message that wasn’t from Nanako. Those messages were her cherished treasures after all.

The message was from one of the staff members at the High School. They were asking her to come to the administration office when she got there. Now that Nanako's convalescence was officially over, the school would need to get their guest badge back and she would no longer be welcome there. It had been a happy sight when they left Suzume to a classroom full of people eager to know her, but Hisako's heart was heavy now.

“What is it?” Yasuko noticed the change in Hisako's demeanor.

“The High School wants me to drop by the administration office when we get there.” Hisako breathed a sigh and said, “They probably want their guest badge back now.”

“I'll come with you.” Yasuko told the taller girl and held her hand as they walked through the mostly empty streets.

Hisako wondered what she and Yasuko would do with themselves now that there was no-one to care for any more. Glumly, she rolled over the options in her mind as they drew closer to the High School.

.

It all seemed a blur as things went the way Hisako imagined they would. They politely thanked her for taking care of one of their students and asked for the guest badge back. Then they were holding something out to her that looked like the guest badge in a different color.

“Huh?” Hisako looked at the thing now in her hand, “What's this?”

“A volunteer badge.” the administrator said, “Sign here please.”

“What… what is this for?” Hisako asked as she signed the document on the clipboard.

“According to the school nurse and Koigakubo Yuri, you volunteered to help during these difficult times.” the administrator then asked, “That is correct, isn't it?”

“Oh this is wonderful!” Yasuko said to the stunned Hisako.

“Yes!” Hisako was jolted back to responsiveness by Yasuko's excitement, “Yes, that is correct… and she wants to help too!”

“Eh?” Yasuko barely had time to realize what was happening before she found herself filling out a form on another clipboard and becoming a volunteer too. “Hisako-chan?”

“Please, Onee-chan! Do this with me.” Hisako begged, “Wouldn't you rather be doing this than being bored at home all alone?”

“Yeah… I don't like being bored.” Yasuko thought about being a little bit closer to Ryuuji and Ami in their last year of school and decided she liked the idea. “Okay, I'll do it too! Let’s do our best Hisako-chan!”

.

**Monday noon, September 21 – Kyujosho Middle School**

* * *

Lunch could not have come soon enough for Suzume's class. She had pulled her desk next to Umeki's and had been sharing books as they went over material that would be on the next exam. Suzume had been a little concerned that she might have some catching up to do since she had asked to be placed in the advanced class, but from what she saw of the review – this was all stuff she had covered a few weeks before the summer break. Since it was mostly review for her, she spent much of the time flipping through Umeki's textbooks to see where she was – in the other subjects. This all came to a jarring end when the lunch bell rang and Suzume and Umeki suddenly found themselves closed in on all sides by curious classmates.

“That was Kawashima Ami wasn't it?”

“Was that other girl a model too?”

“The other girl looked like Kurosawa Hisako, but that can't be.”

“You're so pretty, are you really a model?”

“What did you mean about supersonic jets and rescue missions?” one of the few boys asked.

“Who was the scary guy that came in the classroom with you?”

“Can you really ride a horse?”

In the midst of it all, Suzume noticed Umeki getting up from her seat. Suzume reached out and took her hand. She didn't want the crowd to chase Umeki away from her own desk.

“I have to go buy bread.” Umeki said as if apologizing.

“Oh, don't bother with that.” Suzume pulled out the bento that Ryuuji had made her and said, “Ryuuji-sama made my lunch too big. Please, share it with me.”

“Ryuuji-sama?” Umeki seemed unsure if she should accept, but Suzume was still holding her hand and she did seem genuine in her offer. With a slight bow, she accepted Suzume’s kindness and sat back down next to the tall red head.

“Yes, I really am a model and the scary guy is Ryuuji-sama.” Suzume answered both Umeki and the crowd around her as she pulled out another pair of chopsticks from her bag for her new friend. “Of course, I don't think he's scary at all. In fact, he is our manager!”

Umeki sat back down into her desk and accepted the chopsticks. She was uncomfortable with so much attention around her but it seemed that Suzume knew how to handle it. _Of course she would know how to handle this. She's from Tokyo and she's a model. She has to be used to this sort of thing. But why did she talk to me? Why did she pick me to be her friend?_ _I’m not anybody special… why me?_ Just when these questions were circling through her head, she heard one of her classmates ask the question that was most on her mind.

“Why did you pick Umeki to be your friend?” a skinny boy with glasses asked. It didn't seem like he was being mean – just curious.

“I didn't.” Suzume answered honestly, “Ryuuji-sama picked her out. But after I talked with her for a while, I decided I wanted to be her friend.”

“Eh?” Umeki balked. _The scary guy picked me out?_ Umeki tried to remember what she could of the scary guy. _He wore those reflective sunglasses even indoors, and he was wearing the uniform for the Ohashi High School. Other than that, I don't remember ever meeting him before and he didn't talk to me even once… Why would he pick me?_

“Tell me about the supersonic jets!” the boy with glasses was demanding again.

“I want to hear about shopping in Tokyo!” a girl with a ponytail said.

As Suzume answered more questions, Umeki couldn't help but wonder what had just happened to her life. With a few acquaintances but no real friends, she had led a peaceful and calm (if boring) student life. Sure, she hadn't had as much fun as she had initially hoped for, but she was able to concentrate more on her studies. Three years ago she had hoped she would have fun in middle school but just hoping for it didn't do any good. She had also given up hope on wishing for a fun High School life when… this happened. This… _Suzume typhoon_ had blown into her life. If nothing else, the girl certainly knew how to have a good time. If half of what she said she did over her summer break was true, it would mean that Minami Suzume had more fun in one summer than Umeki had experienced in her entire life.

“Suzume-chan?” Umeki almost cringed when she realized she had said that out loud. Truly, Suzume had already called her Umeki-chan, but would this be okay? She was about to apologize for the assumption of familiarity when she looked up at the tall red haired girl and saw a beaming smile.

“Yes, Umeki-chan?” Suzume smiled her glorious _everything is okay with the world_ smile.

“What High School do you want to go to?” Umeki asked timidly. _She accepted me! She just gracefully accepted me with just three words! How can she be so bold? She is so incredible!_

“She's a professional model, she doesn't have to go to High School.” one of the boys jeered.

“I've already been accepted to Ohashi High School.” Suzume smiled.

“What!” The rest of the class gasped. They had taken her for a pretty face and no-one had suspected that she had already passed the entrance exams that the rest of them had not yet taken.

Umeki smiled too. Ohashi was her first choice after all. Well… if it hadn’t been, it was now.

.

**Wednesday afternoon, September 23 – Hospital**

* * *

From the moment they got to the school gate, Noto, Maya, and Hisako felt tense. That morning, Ryuuji had brought the wheelchair that Nanako had been using from Ami’s house. It had been brought up to the school for Noto to use. It was still painful for him to walk for a long period or do anything that caused him to be short of breath. He didn't get a chance to take the wheelchair home though. When they got to the gate, there was a limousine waiting to take him somewhere. The car itself was fairly standard for a limousine but Noto recognized the driver. He was surprised when the note he was handed explained that the car was there for Maya and Hisako as well as himself. Hisako appeared nervous getting into the car but it looked as if Maya had been expecting this. She still seemed tense, but not afraid or worried about what was going on.

When they got to the hospital, they were greeted by another person Noto recognized. Noto couldn't remember the gentleman's name but he was pretty sure the man was an accountant that had worked with his grandfather. Silently, they walked the halls until they got to a private room. There was no question from any of them why they were here. They all knew that this was Shinako-san's room.

“My instructions are to deliver a message and wait out here for the three of you to have some privacy with Shinako-san.” The gentleman said gravely. Noto was shocked when the gentleman in the suit turned to his Maya and addressed her directly. “Kihara-san, I will wait out here and make sure that you have the privacy to discuss what needs to be said. I don't know what you will be discussing, nor do I want to. I was told only to insure that you have the utmost privacy.”

“Thank you, very much.” Maya said to the gentleman and looked at her beloved Noto. He seemed curious but more concerned for her. Noto held the door open for Hisako and Maya to enter the room. Then he followed them inside.

“Noto-sama.” a weak voice called out from the only bed in the room. “You've been spending far too much time in hospital's lately.” She smiled but didn't have the energy to laugh at her own joke. Her injury had been to the neck and she had required a lot of surgery to repair the damage that the awkward knife thrust had caused. Even now, she wore a collar and bandage device that kept her head immobilized such that she could move her eyes and could barely talk, but not much else.

“Shinako-san,” Noto took the closest hand and held it firmly, “I'm so glad that you're okay now.”

“Oh ho,” Shinako weakly smiled, “I don't know about _okay_. I'm awake but I'm a long way from _okay_ just yet. Don't worry though. I’m a tough bird. I'll be back on my feet in no time.”

“Please forgive…” Noto started to apologize for something like this happening to her in his home.

“Shush shush shush,” Shinako said quietly, “There is nothing to forgive. In fact, it seems that I owe my life to one of your friends. I have no memory of it, but I am told that an elegant and beautiful angel saved me from death's door.” Shinako reached out with her free hand to Hisako.

“I don’t know about all that,” Hisako blushed a little as she moved around the hospital bed to take the offered hand, “but it is good to see you awake again, Shinako-san.”

“Thank you, Kurosawa-san,” Shinako squeezed the tall girl’s hand, “I understand you have some experience in taking care of someone in convalescence. They tell me that I am going to need some assistance for a while. I would be more comfortable with someone I feel I could trust. Can we speak later about this possibility?”

“Yes,” Hisako blushed again at the unconditional statement of trust, “if you are sure you would be okay with me?”

“I can think of only one other,” Shinako now looked over at the pensive Maya, “but she is going to be very busy soon and I could not impose.”

Maya blushed when they all looked at her. She had been thinking about what she had to say and hadn’t been paying attention to what was being discussed between Shinako and Hisako. Even Noto was looking at her but she couldn’t return his gaze. She knew what she was going to say – what she had to say - could really hurt him, but he had to know. She had been entrusted with this knowledge and she knew it was expected of her to pass it on to those that needed to hear it most. Knowing she had to do it was not the same as wanting to do it. Not for the last time did she wish that Nanako was here to lend her support. Nanako always had a way of getting Maya to accept that she had to do the difficult thing… and actually do it. She had always relied on Nanako to be the force that drove her on, when the task was difficult. Perhaps she had relied on Nanako for too long after all. _No, I can do this! If Nanako were here now, she would put her hand on my shoulder and whisper to me a small encouragement._ Maya closed her eyes and imagined Nanako with her now. She could almost feel the hand on her shoulder and put her own hand on her shoulder to cover Nanako’s supporting fingers. Maya took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

She told them everything.

She told them of the accident that had robbed Noto of his real mother and father.

She told them how he and his sister had been split up between two Hisamitsu families and how they had been raised as cousins.

She told them that the family had agreed long ago that this would never be revealed.

Maya felt the words rolling out of her as if she were nothing but a speaker and someone else had chosen the music that would play. She hated having to do this. Her heart was in anguish with every word. She knew how painful this must be for Noto to hear but there was nothing she could do. She had accepted the responsibility and would see it to the end… even if it meant attaching herself to one of Noto-kun’s most painful memories. She didn’t remember when she had started crying, but somewhere along the way of telling the story, her eyes closed and the tears started. Some time after that, Noto came to her and held her in his arms as she finished the last of the tragic story that they had to hear. When she was finished, she didn’t know what to expect. Noto could be angry with her and she would not be able to deny his anger. She felt guilty that she knew such a terrible secret about Noto in the first place, but she felt even worse that she was the one to tell him.

“Thank you very much, Kihara-san.” Maya’s eyes opened when she heard Shinako’s voice and only then did she realize that Noto was holding her and crying as well. “Now, please listen carefully to what I must tell you.”

“Yes?” Maya could not detect any anger in Shinako-san’s voice but she was scared nonetheless. If Noto hadn’t been holding her, she might have been getting ready to flee this room.

“The Hisamitsu family is one of the old and noble families of Japan.” Shinako still held onto Hisako's hand for strength as she struggled to get the words out, “Those that are born into the family are raised knowing that sooner or later, they will be called upon for something that will test their resolve, test their abilities, test their loyalty to the family, even to test their own humanity. Those that marry into the family find out that they may be tested as well.”

“I see.” Maya was about to cry again. She was afraid that Shinako was going to tell her that she did not have what it takes to marry into the Hisamitsu family.

“Kihara-san, you have done well. You are not yet married into the family and you have passed a test that would daunt others.” Shinako smiled as best she could, “I could only wish that all the Hisamitsu family were as strong as you.”

“Thank you!” Maya gasped, “Thank you very much, Shinako-san!”

“Now… I’m afraid I need to sleep again.” Shinako closed her eyes but kept a grip on Hisako's hand, “It may be a bit much to ask, but Kurosawa-san, could you hold my hand until I am asleep? Perhaps then I will not have the nightmares.”

“Yes,” Hisako recalled that Nanako was spending the evening with her mother, “I can stay as long as you like.”

.

**Friday evening, September 25 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

For once, Yasuko’s evening exercise consisted of only healthy people. Hisako, Ami, and Ryuuji were able to keep up with Yasuko pretty easily now. As young as she was, they had all thought that Aiko-chan would be the one that they would have to slow down for, but it turned out that Suzume was the one that was somewhat lacking in stamina.

“How can you run out of steam so quickly with legs that long?” Hisako teased the panting teen.

“Don’t judge me!” Suzume gasped, “I’m a good sprinter.” She reached out and picked up a colorful paper from the table next to the couch she had collapsed on. Something about the announcement on the paper caught her attention and she took a second look at it while others were getting drinks.

“Being a good sprinter is nice, but you’re going to need the stamina if we start doing shows.” Ami reminded the younger teen.

“Ha!” Suzume read the colorful flyer again and laughed some more, “HA HA HA HA!”

“What’s so funny?” Ami asked as she handed a drink to Suzume.

“Read this!” Suzume handed the flyer to Ami and watched. Ami made the mistake of drinking while reading it and suddenly had sport drink coming out of her mouth and nose as she laughed and choked. “You have got to be kidding me!” Ami cried out.

“What is it?” Ryuuji asked from the kitchen. Yasuko, Aiko-chan, and Hisako were also wondering what was so funny.

“This is from Aiko-chan’s school,” Ami held up the colorful flyer, “Kabanoki Elementary School is having their Sports Day on Saturday, the third of October.”

“Ooh, that sounds like fun!” Yasuko cheered, “We should all go!”

“That is interesting… but why did you think it was so funny?” Hisako asked.

“It’s going to be at the common fairgrounds and they will be competing with three other local Elementary Schools.” Ami smiled ear to ear, “One of them is Hosei.”

“Her old elementary school?” Ryuuji asked.

“Yup!” Suzume remembered the day they took their sweet little Aiko-chan from that horrible place. All eyes turned to Aiko-chan and she looked as if she were about to cry.

“Aiko-chan, what’s wrong?” Yasuko knelt in front of the tall nine year old and looked up into the sad amber eyes.

“I didn’t want to ever see them again.” Aiko-chan’s chin trembled, “I don’t think I want to go.”

“Don’t you worry about a thing,” Suzume stirred on the couch and looked over to the wilting Aiko-chan, “I’ll be there to cheer you on, you know. And, you have your new classmates that like you lots and lots. You’ll be doing your best for them, right?”

“You’ll be there, Suzume-senpai?” Aiko-chan sounded hopeful and her eyes opened wide as she heard the enthusiasm in Suzume's voice.

“You bet I will!” Suzume shouted.

“I’ll be there too.” Ryuuji said.

“Me too!” Ami and Hisako chimed in.

“Wow,” Aiko-chan looked like she was getting excited too, “I guess it could be fun if all of you are there too.”

“Darn right it will be fun!” Suzume pumped her fist, “Between now and then, Onee-chan and I will help you get ready for every event!”

.

“Did you see that look on Suzume’s face?” Ryuuji asked Ami as they settled into their familiar sleeping positions.

“Tsk tsk Ryuuji,” Ami chided, “You’re under the blankets with your fiancé and you’re going to talk about another girl? A middle-schooler no less!”

“Stop!” Ryuuji playfully hit her with a pillow, “You know what I’m talking about.” He knew what Suzume was up to. She had been as upset with the way Aiko-chan had been treated at her previous school as Ryuuji had, but she was channeling that anger in a way that bothered Ryuuji.

“I’m not concerned.” Ami played with the silky wrinkles of the pajamas that covered Ryuuji’s chest, “I can’t see her as the type that can stay focused on revenge for too long. Not when she has so many other things on her plate.”

“Huh?” Ryuuji wondered.

“The singing lessons start up next week – every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.” Ami pointed out, “She has new friends she is making at her new school. Homework, writing songs, choreography practice, and now she wants to train Aiko-chan every day for her athletic events?”

“I see what you mean.” Ryuuji realized that he needed to get more involved as their manager. Schedules, keeping track of their schoolwork and their activities, and making sure they got enough rest – these were all things he should taking responsibility for. Even Hisako, who wasn’t in school, might be wearing herself out. She was volunteering at the school, visiting Nanako, and helping Shinako at the hospital almost every day. It was time to rein these girls in before they collapsed.

“So, were you worried more about Suzume or about Aiko-chan?” Ami asked.

“Both, really.” Ryuuji closed his eyes and said, “I was worried that Suzume’s anger would twist both of them into revenge seeking monsters. That’s just… no way to live.”

“Agreed,” Ami plinked Ryuuji’s nose and cautioned him, “but here you are making the same mistakes you made before. You are acting like a doting father figure to both of them.” _Just like you did with Taiga._ “You need to stop coddling them so much and become the manager they need now.”

“Hmmm,” Ryuuji observed, “I am your manager too, you know. Does that mean I should stop…”

“Don’t even think it!” Ami’s voice was a cold monotone that sent chills into Ryuuji.

“Just kidding!” Ryuuji looked over to see if Ami’s eyes were casting a demonic glow. Instead, he saw that she had a twisted smile and seemed to be close to laughter at his perplexed response.

“I guess… I guess I’m just kidding too.” Ami said after she thought about it, “I just don’t think you are the kind of person that can care about them less and manage them more.”

“I think you’re right.” Ryuuji wondered again if he was cut out to be their manager after all. “They’re my friends… I just can’t stop caring about them.”

“I know,” Ami smiled and pulled his face over to hers. She kissed him gently and told him, “But, that’s what makes Ryuuji – Ryuuji. I don’t think I’d want it any other way, after all.”

Ryuuji closed his eyes again. He wondered if he could still be an effective manager if he didn’t give up on caring. It was not an answer he could reach on his own. But even if someone had given him an answer, he vowed to still try. As sleep started to take him, he imagined Kitamura in his winter uniform with his ridiculous yellow-green hair saying, “That’s also what makes Ryuuji – Ryuuji.”


	28. When It Rains

**Saturday afternoon, September 26 – Recording Studio**

* * *

Everyone wanted to come to the studio, since it was the first of the recording sessions. Yuri and Yasuko were in the unused engineers room watching through the big windows as the voice coach had the girls practice in pairs. The engineer’s room was unused because technically, it was the first of the voice coaching sessions but the agency wanted the girls to get used to the studio environment as quickly as possible. Since it was not too expensive to use the rooms, they booked the studio for the voice training as well as the actual recording sessions. As Ryuuji wasn't genuinely experienced in the business, he wouldn't have known that this was unusual if he hadn't been reading about the music and recording industry. Much of what he read was disparaging to the point that he thought of canceling everything and just having the girls concentrate on modeling and acting.

According to what he had learned so far, there were many behind-the-scenes elements to the music industry that were boring, confusing, complex, and sometimes even dangerous. It seemed that musicians either had little talent or not enough time for all the elements of the industry that weren’t strictly related to their craft. Then again, his studies suggested that much of what could make for a very bad experience in the music industry had to do with what kind of manager the musician fell in with. The manager could fail his charges by not pushing them enough and letting them stagnate, but pushing too hard could cause a breakdown or burn-out. Caring too much made the musician feel smothered and nervous, while not caring enough could invite negative feelings of guilt, distrust, and worthlessness. Too much success or too much failure seemed to invite depression, alcoholism, and even drug use. The more he read, the more concerned he became about his role in all of this.

Ryuuji closed his eyes and imagined the girls that had placed their trust in him. His sweet Ami and Hisako were already adults… or close enough to it. Both of them already had experience in a similar industry and that gave Ryuuji some comfort. What scared him the most was his fear of what could happen to the other two. Suzume was in middle school and Aiko-chan was only a grade schooler! The thought of those terrible outcomes happening to any of his charges was terrifying, but the idea of cheerful little Aiko-chan suffering from depression and addiction problems was the stuff of nightmares. _What am I doing? How could I have thought that I could do this? I must be insane! How can I dare to_ _attempt_ _this? If I make even the smallest of errors with them, the dangers are so terrible and so real… How can I be responsible for this? I don’t know what I’m doing! I need to find them a real manager. I need to make that my number one priority!_ “Aieee!” Ryuuji almost jumped out of his skin when he felt hands on his head.

“What are you doing – all serious over here?” Ami leaned into his back and looked over his shoulder at the book that he had been reading. “That’s not a school book…”

“It’s a book that describes the music industry.” Ryuuji told her. He didn’t hide the book from her but he tried to hide his conclusions.

“I see,” Leaning on Ryuuji's back, Ami reached over his shoulder and flipped to the last page of the book. She read the short section that described the author. “I never heard of this guy,” she commented, “it doesn’t say if he was ever successful.”

“Oh, does that matter?” Ryuuji wouldn’t know the name of a successful talent manager anyway so he had bought the book based on the write-up on the back cover.

“Something to watch out for in the performance arts,” Ami smiled as she closed the book, “Unsuccessful people tend to write very gloomy stuff. I guess it helps them to justify their failures.”

“Huh, I hadn’t thought of that.” Ryuuji was looking down at the smiling face of the author on the back of the book. A lesson he had learned from Yuri came floating back to him. _Research your research._

“I imagine the book you write when you are done will be a fun read.” Ami stood up and stretched.

“What makes you say that?” Ryuuji was expecting her to turn this into some kind of boastful prediction of her own success, but was surprised with her frank response.

“When it comes down to it, your success as a manager is based on our success as performers, right?” So far Ami’s response was as expected of her, “And to a great degree, our success is based on our abilities and our trust in you.”

“Huh?” Ryuuji responded automatically but even as he asked, he realized the truth in it.

“Besides, it looks like your role in all this will be changing again anyway.” Ami sipped some of the diluted tea.

“It will… why?” for a moment he wondered if she had already found a professional manager to replace him. He would miss the excitement but not the stress. He hoped he could still accompany them…

“It kinda looks like you might be our song writer.” Ami smiled at his shocked face.

“WHAT?” Ryuuji almost fell out of his chair. Yasuko, Suzume, and Yuri turned to see what the commotion was, but the voice coach and the girls in the closed studio were undisturbed.

“Face the facts,” Ami said with a smirk, “none of us have the gift for it and the agency says the stuff we sent them is pretty good.” Ami’s smirk was hiding a big smile. She didn’t want to tell him the whole truth just yet. After looking at the samples that Ami and Hisako had selected from Ryuuji’s notebooks of poems, the agency said that the worst thing they reviewed was _pretty good_ and the rest varied from _outstanding_ to _awesome_. They had said that if they could get the right melody behind it, they really thought the girls might have a hit or two on their hands. Ami wasn’t worried that telling him this might inflate his ego and change his personality… she just wanted to hand him a nice surprise when one of his songs did well.

“But… what do we do when you use up everything in the box?” Ryuuji couldn't believe he had written anything worth turning into a song. Surely, after the one or two useful things the girls were able to find, they will be back to the problem of needing to create new material.

“Hey, pay attention!” Ami demanded, “I didn't say you _were_ our song writer. I said you _are_ our song writer.”

“Huh?” Ryuuji wanted to protest but Ami didn't give him time.

“Your _unrequited_ stuff is good, and so is the _falling_ _for_ _you_ stuff.” Ami told him what she wanted from him now, “But we are going to need more diversity so you are going to need to dig into those feelings and memories and pull out some more stuff for us.”

“But… how…” Ryuuji was stunned at what Ami was asking of him, “How can I do that?”

“What?” Ami said with a challenge, “Are you trying to tell me that nothing has happened to you in the last year that is song worthy?” Bending over so that her taunting face was only millimeters from him. As she looked deep into his startled eyes, she demanded, “Hmmmmmmmmm?”

The sweat beaded on Ryuuji's forehead as he looked back into his fiancé's eyes. Ami was not as violent as Taiga, but she looked every bit as dangerous just now.

.

**Sunday morning, September 27 – Kawashima Residence**

* * *

Suzume's friend from her new middle school, Ueda Umeki stood in front of the impressive house. She would have thought that Suzume came from a rather large family if it hadn't been for her story about living with Kawashima Ami while they were doing voice lessons and getting ready for their performance debut.

 _So this is the home of Kawashima Ami… and I am going to knock on the door._ Umeki was understandably nervous as she stood there looking at the big house. Try as she might, she could not seem to take another step toward the place. _I just have to go knock on the door…_ Still, her feet refused to move.

The note had been delivered to her, not by another student, but by her homeroom teacher. With a smile, the teacher had congratulated her on making friends as the note was handed over to her. Written in flowing beauty, the message told her to come to this house, at this time, and bring her winter uniform. That had made her nervous. The note also told her not to tell Suzume that she was coming. That had made her more nervous. Finally, the note was signed by Kurosawa Hisako. She only knew who that was from the gossip in the class. Suzume had assured everyone that Hisako-senpai was Ami-senpai's best friend… but there were a lot of people that just couldn't believe that. Umeki stood there, holding the bag with her winter uniform and the note in her hand and felt the overwhelming urge to run away. _I should just go._ Her feet were finally listening to her as she started to turn away.

“Hi there!” A voice called out to her from someone else coming toward the house. Umeki turned to see a pretty girl with long purple hair and purple eyes carrying a craft box with both hands. The box looked heavy and the girl seemed to be struggling a little, but she wore a beautiful smile that made all of Umeki's fear fall away.

“Hi…” Umeki was stunned for a moment, but a deep need to help this struggling girl brought her back to her senses and dispelled her earlier desire to flee. Timidly, she asked, “Can I help you with that box?”

“Sure,” Nanako set the box down and picked up one of the handles while the shorter girl picked up the other one. “I'm Kashii Nanako. You must be Suzume-chan's friend, Umeki-chan?”

“Yes, Kashii-san.” It was difficult to bow with the bag in one hand and holding onto the craft box handle with the other hand, so she affected a slight nod and hoped that would do. The box didn't seem all that heavy and Umeki was wondering if Kashii-san might be frail. “Um… Kurosawa-san invited me.”

“Did she threaten you?” Nanako asked with an eyebrow raised, “You seem a little nervous.”

“I am nervous!” Umeki admitted with gathering panic, “I don't know Kurosawa-san at all and she told me not to tell Suzume-chan, and I've never been to a celebrity's house before and…”

“Ha ha ha!” Nanako's laugh was like a clear bell in crisp air. At once, it felt as if Umeki’s fears were trifles and she almost laughed along with Nanako. After the brief laughter, Nanako asked, “Hisako didn't tell you why she wanted you to come over today, did she?”

“Um… no.” Umeki admitted. _Kashii-san calls Kurosawa-san by her first name! They must be close. I'm glad I didn't say anything rude about Kurosawa-san._

“You and Hisako are going to help me make a present for Suzume.” Nanako explained as they got to the front porch, “There are no school uniforms available that will fit her, so we are going to make one today.”

“What?” Umeki was stunned, “You can do that?”

“Compared to some of the other things I've made, a normal school uniform will be easy.” Nanako said with confidence. “So, do you want to help?”

“Yes!” Umeki was excited both to make a present for her friend and to watch someone that could make a school uniform by hand.

“Then there are two things you have to promise me.” Nanako said conspiratorially.

“What?” Umeki's excitement manifested in her barely contained response.

“First, you have to promise me that you wont tell Suzume-chan until the day she wears the uniform to school.”

“I promise!” Umeki-chan said eagerly.

“Second, once we go through this door, there are no more last names.” Nanako smiled, “This is a very friendly place. You can use san or senpai - if you aren't ready to use chan or kun, but try to use the first names.”

“Are you serious?” Umeki asked with an astounded expression.

“Very.” Nanako reached to open the door.

 _Wow, celebrities are so weird!_ Umeki thought as she followed Nanako through the front door.

.

**Thursday morning, October 01 – Kawashima Residence**

* * *

Having worked most of her adult life in the evening entertainment industry, Yasuko had rarely seen Ryuuji off to school in the morning. Not until this year had her lifestyle changed so that she could get up before noon. It had been rough, but Yasuko had broken from the lazy morning routine back when she started training Ami for her modeling comeback.

Hisako had always been an early riser though. Being the only two in the house, that didn't have to get up for school, she and Yasuko worked together to get everyone else going. Hisako knew that Yasuko liked to think of herself as the Onee-chan for all these kids, herself included. But, to Hisako, they were so much more than kids. These were her dear friends… friends that had been closer to her than anyone in her life had been. Hisako thought about the closeness she felt with them and wondered if it maybe went farther than just friendship. She had discussed this with Yasuko a few times over coffee in the school’s infirmary. Yasuko had suggested that it felt more like family between them, than friendship. After all, it wasn’t for any kind of monetary payment that she and Yasuko got up early and helped get everything ready for everyone that would be heading off to their respective schools. Sometimes it could be a chore, but they both enjoyed their part in the morning routine of the 'family'. And 'family' is how both of them thought of it.

Yasuko was thinking about her discussions of ‘family’ on this particular morning. It was true that she felt very close to all of these kids, but her boy… her young man… Ryuuji had grown up so much in the last two years. Of course, he was bigger and stronger, but he was also more mature and self-confident. And Yasuko was not sure why she couldn’t be completely happy about that. She kept her melancholy feelings to herself the best she could. Her smile was the same as it had been for the last few weeks. In those weeks she delighted in the morning routine of preparation and departure. Ryuuji still made breakfast and the food for all the bento boxes, but Yasuko or Hisako would be there to help with the cleanup and to get the bento's packed and distributed. After getting everyone out the door, it was a joy to walk little Aiko-chan to her elementary school, then it was a delight to join up with Ryuuji, Ami, and their friends and walk up to the High School. She had done the same routing just the day before… the last day of September… the last time Ryuuji would ever wear his summer uniform. It was a milestone that marked the end of Ryuuji’s last High School summer. It was still quite warm so the winter uniforms didn’t so much mark the beginning of winter as they marked the beginning of the end of the school year. This was the last uniform they would wear until they graduated in six short months.

Knowing this day was coming, Yasuko and Hisako had conspired to make it special. In secret, they had prepared the winter uniforms as best they could. They had let out hems for those that had gone through a growth spurt over the summer, laundered and pressed them so that they were as beautiful on the first day of October as they had been on the first day they had been worn. Of course, it would be the first time that Aiko-chan would wear the winter uniform for her new school and Suzume… Suzume had her own very special surprise coming.

.

Yasuko got a text message that the special guests had arrived. They had agreed to send Yasuko a text instead of using the door-bell to avoid giving anything away. This was to be a very special surprise after all! Yasuko answered the door and welcomed the early morning visitors and the package they were carrying. She told them, “They're already awake, you can go on up now!” From the base of the stairs, she watched them tiptoe up the steps and imagined them creeping down the hall to the door of the bedroom that Hisako now shared with Suzume. They had so much excitement and joy that it tugged at the growing sadness in Yasuko's heart.

.

“Hey,” Suzume called over to Hisako as she dug through the drawers of her dresser looking for her skirt, “I can't find my uniform anywhere.” She had already looked through the closet and was beginning to wonder if the skirt and blouse had ended up in someone else's laundry.

“Hmmm,” Hisako said noncommittally, “I don't know what to tell ya. Of course, that was a summer uniform and it is the first of October now.”

“I know.” Suzume stopped looking and her shoulders sagged as she remembered going to the only stores that carried that school's uniform. None of the three of them carried anything approaching her size except for the month before school started. She had been disappointed to say the least. She didn't mind being different from the 'norm' but she did like to show her affiliation with her growing number of friends that went to the same school with her. “There's not much I can do about that though.”

“Well,” Hisako said as she opened the door and let the two shorter girls in the room, “you could put on your new winter uniform.”

“My what?” Suzume spun around and saw her friend Umeki and Nanako smiling and holding up a garment bag. “Eh!”

.

Yasuko could hear the joyous sounds of their squeals and laughter from where she stood at the base of the stairs. _Another winter school uniform._ With her hand on the banister, she stood at the landing and remembered all the times she had gazed upon her handsome son in his black winter uniform. She had just recalled the time he put it on the day before his first day at the high school that had accepted him. He had been so full of hope that his student life in this new school would be better than his middle school years… and better than the elementary school years too. She remembered going to the local shrine and praying that her son would finally find the happiness that he so richly deserved, in this new high school. And to Yasuko, it seemed that her prayer had truly been answered. Sure, there had been some rough spots, but her little boy had finally found the friendships that had eluded him for all of his life until now. More than that, he had found acceptance and even love. Yasuko took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and looked up the stairs just as Ami and Ryuuji came down the steps toward her. They were wearing the winter uniform now; today would be the first day of the last season her son would be wearing it. Then, never again. Ami was her beautiful self in the red blazer and blue skirt as always, and Ryuuji was resplendent in his dark gray gakuran.

The sewing touch-ups on Ryuuji’s uniform had been perfect; the hem of his pants broke at the polished loafers and the sleeves were slightly past the crease of the wrists. The chest and shoulders had been let out a little to account for additional muscle there. The thought that Ryu-chan carrying around Yuri-sensei had been a good upper body workout almost made her giggle.

Ami’s uniform had been altered too. She had also grown since the beginning of the school year. Her sleeves were a bit longer and the chest of her blazer had to be let out a bit as well… for different reasons than Ryuuji’s. Yasuko and Nanako had talked about whether to alter the hem of Ami’s skirt too. Yasuko reasoned that she was a little taller now so she agreed to let Nanako take care of it. After they tried them on Yasuko was convinced that Ami’s skirt was, if anything, shorter than it had been. A glance at the satisfied expression on Nanako’s face told her that she was right. Ami didn’t seem to mind though and she did have beautiful legs to show off anyway. Together they looked so lovely to Yasuko that she felt she might burst into tears at any moment.

Oh, how she wished that there was a ruffled collar, or an undone button that she could fix for him like she had so many times in years past. _There’s nothing left for me to fix. H_ _e’_ _s_ _become a responsible boy… a responsible man. He d_ _oe_ _n't miss buttons anymore;_ _he is able to look sharp now without relying on my help_ _._

_..._ _without relying on my help._

She wondered if her face was a mess. She could barely hold back the tears as she wore the familiar _Onee-chan_ smile. Her son had become a man to be so very proud of… was it wrong to miss the boy?

 _I hope it's not wrong._ Yasuko watched Ami and Ryuuji walk into the living room to get their things ready to go to school. _I already miss him._

.

**Saturday morning, October 03 – Elementary School Field Day at the Fairgrounds**

* * *

Aiko-chan stood out among her classmates. Of course, she would stand out in almost any group of third grade students. She was already as tall as most Middle School girls and taller than at least one High School girl she knew of. Some of the other parents wanted to question whether she was a repeater and should sit out the competitions, but her class was surrounded by a rather imposing group.

Glancing over at the Kabanoki Elementary School’s third grade area, it was easy to see that several parents were there as well as some older siblings. Two high school students wearing sunglasses and staying close to Aiko-chan were a particularly odd looking couple. She was absolutely beautiful and he looked like he had just come from killing someone with his bare hands. Even most of the other parents shied away from getting his attention.

“It's a good thing we decided to make this a multi-school event.” a teacher commented, “With the number of absences, it looks like we only have one school here.

“That would be one large school,” another teacher responded, “at least for these times.”

“True,” the first teacher said, “but it certainly doesn't look like four schools are here.”

Ryuuji and Ami saw that all the kids in Aiko-chan's school had donned green shirts. Kids from the other schools were wearing red, blue, and yellow shirts to show their affiliations. “Excuse me,” Ami asked, “which color is Hosei Elementary School wearing?”

“They are wearing red today.” a helpful staff person said, “Are you with someone in that school?”

“No,” Ami took Ryuuji's arm and smiled, “we are here for Aiko-chan.”

“And you are…” a teacher asked as she was looking over her glasses. It was a move she obviously used for intimidation, but it came off a bit humorous when she tried to do it to people that were taller than her. Before anyone could answer, a voice cried out and a ball of anxious orange-gold hair collided into Ryuuji's lower chest.

“Ryuuji-sama! Ryuuji-sama! Ryuuji-sama!” Aiko-chan had cried out as she ran into him, “They say they won't let me play!”

Ryuuji put his arms around Aiko-chan and comforted her as he and Ami looked in the direction of a huddle of adults. First, they noticed several of the adults there blanch when they saw Ryuuji looking their way. Then they noticed Suzume coming from the huddle with a grin that would scare a mugger. “Don't worry,” Ryuuji turned Aiko-chan to see Suzume's approach, “I think Suzume-chan got it all worked out.”

.

Suzume had indeed _got it all worked out_. As the teachers and parents from the other schools had eventually discovered, they had all played right into Suzume's hands. They had insisted that she should sit out the competitions due to her size and let the normal kids have fun. Suzume had challenged them to explain why they thought Aiko-chan was not normal. They insisted that she was so large that she might accidentally injure a third grade girl of normal… average height. The parents and teachers from the other schools thought that Suzume was about to throw a fit and were amazed when she suddenly calmed down and seemed to reluctantly offer the compromise that Aiko-chan could compete against the third grade boys. Surely they would be tough enough not to get hurt by a girl. The unsuspecting parents and staff had agreed to this compromise. None of them could have imagined a girl would beat all the boys in all the events…

Well, she didn't get first place in everything. During the relay race, the first boy to run had tripped and twisted his ankle on the very first lap. One of the other boys and Aiko-chan did well in their runs and got their team back to second place in that event. It had been a turning point for a lot of the boys that had been nervous about Aiko-chan before. As the anchor runner during the relay race, the cheering from the parents, students, and teachers from Kabanoki Elementary School had been deafening as they all watched the determined girl pass one runner after another on the final lap. When the race was over, their cheering was so loud, many of the other attendees wondered if the Kabanoki fans realized that they hadn’t won.

Ryuuji was cheering with the rest, but behind the mirror-shades he wore, he was focused on Aiko-chan and Suzume. He didn’t know how much a nine year old needed ‘closure’, but being victorious in front of her former tormentors and indeed, against the very boys that had been her tormentors, should do the trick. However, _revenge_ could darken the soul too. He was pleased to see that Aiko-chan didn't seem to notice her old classmates at all. It wasn't that she was ignoring them, it was more that she was concentrating on what she was doing and enjoying being with the students from her new class in the group events. Suzume's shouts were always encouragement for Aiko-chan, never derisive comments aimed at the kids in the red shirts. This made Ryuuji smile more than anything else. He was glad to acknowledge that his fears about Suzume's attitude and Aiko-chan's training had been unfounded.

.

**Sunday noon, October 04 – Recording Studio**

* * *

 

Umeki couldn’t help but worry about what Nanako had in mind. Ever since the day she had shown up at the Kawashima house to help with making a winter school uniform for Suzume, she had been spending more and more time with the gentle purple haired girl. While Umeki firmly believed that Nanako was kind, she also knew that the friendly girl could also be quite… playful. Without a doubt, Umeki knew she was being set up… for something. Fortunately, Umeki was certain that Nanako wasn’t the kind of person that would do anything bad to her. At least she hoped that was the case. So here she was… at the recording studio... with a basket of vegetables from her family’s farm and a jar of garlic sauce from her aunt. That had been Nanako’s suggestion as well. _I must look ridiculous._

“Ah, you brought the vegetables!” Nanako smiled from under the big floppy sun-hat she was wearing.

“Yes.” Umeki answered. She desperately wanted to ask why it was so important to bring vegetables to a recording studio, but Nanako was already holding the door for her to enter. When she got into the studio’s lobby she almost ran into the scary guy. “Oh, Ryuuji-sama! Please ex… excuse me.”

“Umeki-chan?” Ryuuji looked at the nervous girl and then noticed the basket she was carrying. “Vegetables?”

“Yes,” Umeki stammered, “Th-they are fr-from my fam-family’s fa-fa-fa-farm.” Her stammering was worse around people she was not familiar with and she closed her eyes in embarrassment from how horrible she believed she sounded. If it hadn’t been for Nanako behind her, she might have just dropped the basket and run out the door.

“Close your eyes and take a deep breath.” Nanako said as she put her hands on the younger girl’s shoulders and moved up close behind her to speak to her softly. The trick worked. The trembling in Umeki’s body stopped almost immediately and she no longer had the urge to flee. Nanako smiled as she remembered doing things like this for Maya when she became flustered or overly shy.

Umeki was still a little nervous but Nanako was holding her shoulders and she was so close. Umeki realized how much she trusted Nanako by the way her body was just naturally relaxing when she felt the older teen nearby. She could hear Nanako’s soft voice in her ear.

“A vocalist needs to keep her energy up, but there are a lot of things that you can’t eat or drink if you are trying to sing.” Nanako explained, “Although a lot of things might taste good, they may be bad for the voice. But your vegetables are perfect: they are fresh, they will taste good, and they’re not bad for the voice.”

“Really?” Umeki was thrilled to find out the the care box of produce that her grandparents and aunt had sent her would be so useful.

“Really.” Nanako assured Umeki, then she told her, “Now, open your eyes and offer your basket to Ryuuji-kun.”

When Umeki opened her eyes, she saw Ryuuji right in front of her. _Ah! He’s so big and scary! What if he doesn’t like the vegetables? What if the basket is too plain? Maybe he doesn’t like me? He probably thinks I’m just a kid… or maybe he doesn’t think of me at all! I am just a kid! He is managing models and engaged to Kawashima Ami after all. He’ll probably just laugh at me. Nanako-senpai is with me though… I have to show her that I can at least try!_ She thrust the basket toward him even as she felt more of the fear creeping back into her again. She was about to hurry through the offer when he spoke.

“Umeki-chan, thank you for this.” Ryuuji bowed, “I am sure the girls will enjoy it and I know it will help them to make a better performance.”

“Oh… yes.” Umeki was stunned as Ryuuji took the basket from her, “I mean, you are very welcome.” _He bowed to me? He’s really not so scary after all. I guess he’s like a normal guy except… nice._

“I’ll take these and make a salad for them. They should be finishing their first set in half an hour.” Ryuuji started to head for the studio’s break room.

“I can help!” Umeki couldn’t believe that she was offering to help, but making a salad was something she could do.

“Oh no,” Nanako held the eager girl back from following Ryuuji into the kitchen, “you and I need to change into our costumes.”

“Costumes?” Umeki was rolling over what Nanako had just said. After remembering some of the _costumes_ she had seen when she went to Ami’s house to make Suzume’s school uniform, the thought occurred to her that between Ryuuji and Nanako, the scarier one might actually be Nanako.

.

When the set ended, the four girls in the booth were tired and hungry. They didn’t complain much about being tired since they knew that they had an afternoon session to work through before they were done. But the _hungry_ part was another matter.

“If there’s not something ready for us when that door opens, I’m going to start eating the furniture in the lobby.” Hisako grumbled. A moment after her comment, her stomach growled to add it’s own feeling to the comment.

Ami threw the door open and was about to call out for Ryuuji when she came to a stunned stop. The other three girls came through the thick soundproofed door and came to a stop just as Ami did. There were two cute short girls dressed up in matching black and white maid attire. Their outfits had the addition of cat ears and tails that seemed to sway about on their own. Both of the maids held silver serving trays with drinks but, while one of the maids had a beautiful - if a bit proud - smile on her face, the other maid was blushing furiously.

“Nanako-chan?” Ami finally was able to speak. She knew that Nanako was good at sewing and had even made Suzume’s winter school uniform for her, but this was… “Magnificent… That outfit is incredible!”

“Thank you, Ami-chan!” Nanako affected a small curtsy in her cat-maid costume at the compliment.

“Umeki-chan?” Suzume gasped as she realized who was underneath the other costume… and underneath the blush. “Umeki-chan, is that really you?”

“Yes.” Umeki squeaked as her blush deepened. _Suzume must think I look ridiculous like this._

“You’re so… so cute!” Suzume sighed as she took in the view of her short friend in the cat-maid costume.

“What?” Umeki looked up in shock. She had been worried to death that Nanako's little fun would backfire and Suzume wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her again. She could tell that the costume had been well made and acknowledged that it looked good on Nanako, but on her… _I’m just not that presumptive to think that something like that will look good on me!_ She had tried to tell Nanako that she couldn’t possibly wear something so outlandish… but Nanako just smiled and ignored the younger girl’s pleas and protests.

“I want one!” Aiko-chan loudly declared. “I want to look just like Umeki-chan!”

“I think we know who is going to be doing our costuming.” Ami said with a smile. She watched Aiko-chan and Suzume fawn over the outfit Umeki-chan was wearing while Hisako was admiring Nanako.

“Hey!” Ryuuji called out from down the hall, “You’re not hungry? I’ve got some good stuff ready for you down in the break room.” That got everyone in motion and soon they were all seated around the long table and munching on the salad Ryuuji had prepared.

“Mmmm, so good!” Aiko-chan said as she finished off her salad. The others agreed as well and Ryuuji's fear that someone would complain about there not being any meat went unrealized. Apparently, they had all got the same warning about what not to eat and drink during the recording sessions.

.

Since most all of them had school the next day, they had all opted for a shorter break between sessions so they could leave earlier. Nanako and Umeki helped Ryuuji clean up the break area while the others ran back to their recording booth. Before they finished with their clean-up, they could already hear the sounds coming from the speakers in the engineer’s room.

“What? What is that?” Umeki asked in awe, “That’s not them is it?”

“Oh, that’s right, you haven’t heard them sing yet, have you?” Ryuuji asked.

“No. No I haven’t.” Umeki looked stunned, “That sound is really Suzume and... them?”

“Yup,” Ryuuji smiled and said, “We’re done with the cleanup now. Let’s go into the engineer’s room where we can hear them even better.”

“Can we?” Umeki seemed awed and a little scared, “Is it really okay?”

“It’s okay as long as you can be quiet while they are working.” Nanako reminded the younger girl of the etiquette around the recording studio.

“I can… I will! I promise!” Umeki was so excited that Ryuuji wondered if she would be able to remain quiet after all.

A few minutes later and Ryuuji, flanked by two girls in maid costumes, stood behind the recording engineer and listened to the beautiful music coming from the speakers. The three of them watched as the engineer had them go back over the same part of the music several times, then went into the booth and switched out the microphone that Aiko-chan was using. The next time they sang, it sounded so beautiful, Umeki was worried her legs would collapse.

“That’s it.” the engineer made some notes as they kept singing, “They’ve got it now.”

“They’ve got what?” Nanako asked.

“ _That sound._ ” Ryuuji said simply and the engineer nodded his head in agreement.

“That sound.” Umeki repeated the words and realized that they perfectly described what it was she heard. Looking through the thick acoustic glass that separated the engineer’s room from the recording booth, she could see their faces. Aiko-chan and Suzume looked the happiest while they sang but she didn’t think they had any idea how good it sounded on the speakers. It was amazing. Truly amazing. _Oh Suzume, you are so amazing!_

The engineer was concentrating on his job, but a motion caught his attention. Looking at the reflection in the glass, he could see the tail on one of the cat-maids was thrashing about. She was quiet and for the most part, still. But that tail gave away her inner excitement like flags and fireworks. The engineer chuckled, _I don’t blame you kid. These girls are good. I hope they make it._

.

**Monday morning, October 05 – Ohashi High School**

* * *

Noto came back to the classroom from an emergency meeting by the Student Council and the Principal of the school. When he got to the room and looked around at all the empty desks, it visually confirmed what all the classroom representatives had just been told in the meeting.

Yuri had been going over the results of the last test while her class representative was off in a meeting. Now that he was back, she was ready to start the next exam. She was about to have Noto get everyone ready, when he handed her a note from the principal. After reading the brief note, Yuri agreed that the test would have to wait; Noto needed to make an announcement concerning the safety of her students.

The class quieted down when they noticed Noto standing before them looking pained. Yuri-sensei stood behind him also looking solemn. All of them knew that Noto was still recovering from his recent wounds and would not be able to speak loudly. Soon, it was quiet enough that each person heard their own breathing more than any other noise in the room. Noto’s soft voice reached out to them then.

“How many of you have got your flu shots?” Noto asked the room. As soon as he did, he put his own hand up. Following his example, Yuri, Ryuuji, Ami, Nanako, and Maya raised their hands as well. Almost no-one else in the room did. Even Minori still had her hand down. After looking at the number of hands that were not up, Noto commented, “This is bad.”

“What’s wrong?” Haruta hadn’t raised his hand either and wanted to know what the big deal was.

“Listen to me please,” Noto begged the class, “we have all been through flu seasons before and yeah, we might have got sick and got better later but this one is different.”

“How?” another student asked.

“In the past, you might have heard of someone dying from the flu but it was always someone very young or very old, or it was someone that already had a lung disease, or immune disorder. This one is different because it is killing people our age, that have no history of lung or immune problems.” Noto told his classmates passionately, “If you catch this thing, it could kill you.”

“I heard the vaccines don’t really work.” a student said.

“I heard this flu is all just a bunch of media hype.” another student said.

“Believe what you want, but here are the indisputable facts,” Noto challenged his classmates as his hand covered the growing pain in his chest, “The absentee rate at this school is up to 40% due to this Pandemic. That is about average for Japan as a whole. When it reaches 50%, they are going to start closing schools, shopping centers, amusement parks… any place that people gather.” Noto couldn’t say any more. The stabbing pain from all this effort was too much for him to continue.

Closing down the school didn’t register as a threat to most of the students in the room, but closing down shopping centers and amusement parks?

“Let me ask you all something.” Maya stood up and turned to face all the students in the room, “I don’t know who you’ve been hearing these stupid rumors from, but the three smartest people in this room have all got the flu shots. So, what does that tell you?”

“I’m going to get mine today!” Minori stood up as she made the words sound like a team rally.

“Me too!” Haruta called out as well.

Unfortunately, not many others had been swayed.

.

That evening, Ryuuji got a call from the talent agency. At first Ryuuji thought the person had got the wrong number when they started talking about weather forecasts, but they insisted that they needed to talk to him.

“Wait a second!” Ryuuji put his book down and grabbed some blank paper to make notes and try to make sense of what this person was telling him. “Okay, go ahead.”

“According to the latest storm track projections, Typhoon Melor will be hitting your area around noon on Thursday. That’s the day that we had scheduled the studio for recording your original music.”

“Oh,” Ryuuji now saw how this all made sense now, “so what do we do.”

“We’ve already asked your studio to move your Thursday appointment back to Wednesday and cancel your voice class scheduled for tomorrow.” the harried voice on the phone said, “Do you think you can get the message out in time?”

“Yeah, I think I can handle that.” Ryuuji smiled; there was a particular advantage to them all living under one roof after all.

.

**Wednesday afternoon, October 07 – Recording Studio**

* * *

“Hey,” Hisako poked Suzume in the cheek, “why do you look so sad. I would have thought you would be thrilled to miss a day of school for this.” Hisako gestured to the recording studio. Her thoughts were not unwarranted, missing a day of school to go to a recording session had been all that Suzume had been talking about for the last several days. Now that the event was here, her spirit seemed a little deflated.

“I guess I just didn’t realize…” Suzume tried to smile but her eyes still held the sadness, “Remember how much fun it was the other day with Umeki-chan and Nanako-chan here?” Suzume’s smile faltered a little and she seemed a bit embarrassed to go on, “I mean… I really do like doing things with you guys, but… wasn’t it more fun when…”

“… when they were here with us.” Hisako finished Suzume's sentence as she sat down heavily next to her. Their two friends in the matching cat-maid costumes had really helped to liven things up for the practicing performers. Their presence had done a lot to make the girls less tense and make everything more… fun. “Great!” Hisako reached up and plinked Suzume's forehead with her finger.

“Ouch!” Suzume cried out and rubbed the spot on her head, “What was that for?”

“Now you’ve got me depressed!” Hisako growled at the red head.

“Hisako-senpai!” A pensive Aiko-chan was standing in front of the seated raven haired model. The look she was showing the older girl had both disapproval and fear as she demanded, “Please don’t be upset… I don’t want you to be sad.”

“EEEP!” Aiko-chan cried out as she was suddenly lifted into the air from behind.

“Don’t you worry about Hisako-chan.” Ami said as she lowered Aiko-chan onto Hisako’s waiting arms, “she was just playing with Suzume. She might be a little sad, but she isn’t mad at anyone. You know what though? She’ll be a whole lot better if she can hold her favorite teddy-bear for a bit.”

“Her favorite teddy-bear?” Aiko-chan asked from the comfort of Hisako’s lap.

“You, silly!” Ami said as she playfully pinched Aiko-chan’s nose. Then she turned and walked back to where Ryuuji was finishing up his phone call.

“I thought Nanako was Hisako’s favorite teddy-bear?” Ryuuji asked with a smirk.

“Oh, you heard that?” Ami smiled as she told her fiancé, “Nanako is a lot more then a teddy bear for Hisako.”

“Huh?” Ryuuji didn’t follow what Ami was saying.

“A teddy-bear is something that is comforting, but child-safe.” Ami explained, “So Aiko-chan would be a teddy-bear but Nanako would be…”

“Okay okay, I get it!” Ryuuji waved her off before her explanation made his blush too noticeable.

“Now, stop looking back at them and get your mind out of the gutter.” Ami teased.

“Ri… right.” Ryuuji looked at his phone and started to bring up the messages that had come in while he had been talking on the phone.

“No,” Ami put her hands on Ryuuji’s face and demanded, “Look at me, not your phone.”

“Eh?” Ryuuji smiled nervously. _But if I do that, my mind might end up back in the gutter._

“Hmmm?” Ami raised an eyebrow as she looked at Ryuuji, “You were just thinking something perverted, weren’t you?”

“What? How did you know?” Ryuuji panicked, “I mean… No!”

“How upsetting!” Ami sighed, “The man I am to marry apparently has hidden perversions that he is unwilling to discuss with me. Whatever shall I do?”

“No! no! no! no!” Ryuuji was becoming quite flustered now.

The wicked smile on Ami’s face suddenly vanished and she froze as she felt an unexpected hand on her shoulder from behind her.

“Making him tell you now would be no fun, Ami-chan.” Yasuko said in her happy sing-song voice, “Don’t you think it would be better to have him show you?” Yasuko gave them a wink and turned to deliver the cans of herbal tea to the other girls back in the lobby.

“Why…” Ami’s face was now as red as Ryuuji’s had been as she demanded, “Why didn’t you tell me that your mother was right behind me?”

.

“All right,” Ryuuji said to the group as they were getting ready to leave the studio and head for home, “I got several messages and calls while you were all trying your best in there. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to watch the session like I wanted to.”

“Yeah, yeah. We know about that.” Hisako was getting impatient. There had been a lot of speculation about what was going on but the girls had tried not to think about it too much. They all knew that they needed to focus on the recording session. “Tell us what was so terribly important! Was it the agency?”

“No,” Ryuuji could see why they might have thought that and realized that he should have let them know it wasn’t anything like that so their minds could be at ease. “Nothing to do with singing or modeling. It’s all about the storm.”

“The storm?” Suzume asked.

“Yes,” Ryuuji told them the bad and the good news. “It looks to be a pretty powerful storm and right now they think it will hit us around noon tomorrow. They are sure enough that they have already canceled all the schools for tomorrow.”

“Are we going to be okay?” Aiko-chan held onto Hisako’s hand for courage.

“Ami-chan’s house is strong and in a good place, but apparently we have some friends that are not so lucky.” Ryuuji told her.

“Huh?” Ami asked, “What do you mean?”

“Because of construction next door to Yuri-sensei’s apartment building, they will be losing power this evening and they are not planning to turn it back on until after the storm. So I was wondering if…”

“Ami-chan!” Yasuko’s hands were clasped together and she looked like a child at a birthday party, hoping for a special present.

 _Pitiful!_ Hisako winced at how pathetic Yasuko looked as she begged Ami for a special favor.

“Of course!” Ami almost laughed her response. She had rarely seen Yasuko looking so hopeful and pitiful. _Onee-chan, you should know by now that there is nothing I could deny you._

“Nanako…” Ryuuji didn’t even get the reason out before Hisako cried out.

“Ami-chan!” Hisako was unconsciously mimicking the same look that Yasuko had made. Without a doubt, it was clear that Hisako was ready to drop to her knees if that was necessary to get Ami to agree.

“Fine, Nanako can come too.” Ami feigned annoyance and pretended to be put out. She imperiously pointed at Hisako as she demanded, “But, we’re going to be cramped so she’ll have to stay in your room!”

“As you wish, my lady,” Hisako got into the outrageous drama with Ami, “in our tiny room, I suppose that Suzume, Nanako, and I will have to make do.”

“Finally, there is Minori-chan.” Ryuuji said as he looked at Ami. He could see the surprise in her eyes as she heard him say it.

“She’s the one that always looks like she’s going to start crying when she looks at me.” Aiko-chan said sadly.

“Yes.” Ryuuji answered without taking his eyes away from Ami. Everyone knew why that was too. Aiko-chan looked remarkably like Aisaka Taiga, and Taiga had been Minori’s best friend for a long time before she had suddenly disappeared. Everyone there also knew who she was.

Kushieda Minori was like the shining sun in the sky, and she had been Ryuuji’s first love.

A first love that was rejected before it had ever had a chance to begin. Truly, an unrequited love.

An unrequited love that had spurred Ryuuji into writing what would become a _love song_.

A love song that was just performed and recorded by Ami and her friends. All of them knew that this song would always remind Ryuuji of his first love… the unrequited love… for Kushieda Minori.

Ami didn’t want Minori around right now. The wounds were too fresh. She had just been in a studio for half a day singing a song devoted to Minori over and over and over again. _Why Ryuuji? Why now? Of all the times that Minori could pick to visit, why now? What is her reason? Why is it so terribly important that she come over now?_ _I could throw a tantrum and no-one would blame me! Wait, I don’t even need to throw a tantrum. It’s my house, I can just say NO!_ Ami kept her expression calm, but her fist clenched behind her back and she drew a heavy breath. _No, I can’t be like this._ _Ryuuji has_ _helped_ _me_ _to become a_ _better person and it’s that ‘better person’ that he likes so much… dammit!_

“Sure, why not.” Ami said defiantly. She caught the glances from Yasuko and Hisako and read their meaning. They were both glad that she had made that decision, but they would have supported her if she had rejected the pink haired jock.

“Okay, that takes care of all the calls and messages.” Ryuuji clapped his hands to break the mood, “The sound engineer says you guys did great and he already sent the copy to the agency. Since we’re all done here, let’s go get a train and get home!”

.

**Thursday noon, October 08 – Kawashima Residence**

* * *

The storm shutters were in place on all the windows and everyone was gathered in the living room as the sounds of the powerful tropical storm reverberated through the house. The crackle of lightning and boom of thunder weren’t the only things that reminded everyone that there was a typhoon outside. Gusts of wind made howling moans and the loud staccato of driven rain beat heavily on the roof and the sides of the house that faced the coming storm. Battery powered storm lanterns were already turned on in case the house lost power, but so far the lights had not even flickered.

An hour earlier, as the storm had been approaching, they had gathered with coffee and food and some games in the living room. The games had been fun and the conversation interesting, but all seemed to dwindle as the intensity of the storm increased. Huddled together in groups on the love seats and couches, they held hands and listened to the power of the storm as it reached for its crescendo.

Minori sat next to Suzume in a small couch next to the sofa where Ami and Ryuuji were reclined. Minori knew that of all the people in this room, she was most familiar with Ami and Ryuuji. Familiar, but she knew she could not be close friends with them. Not now. Perhaps, not ever. That had been by her own doing. Looking down at the mug in her hands, she lost herself in the dark swirls of the coffee and thought of the decisions that she had made. Mostly, one particular decision. The decision to forgo a relationship with Ryuuji because it might get in the way of her softball career… It had not been something she had considered lightly and she was still sure of herself… still sure she had made the right decision… mostly. _Mostly?_

Minori looked up and saw Ryuuji and Ami together. His long body was stretched out on the sofa and Ami was laying on him with her head on his shoulder. His strong arms were around her and holding her hands. Ryuuji’s head was laid back on the arm of the sofa and his eyes were closed as he tranquilly lay there with Ami in his arms. Ami’s head was tilted just a bit toward Ryuuji and it seemed she had a smile on her lips as she gazed up at the side of his face. Ryuuji looked peaceful and Ami looked happy as they enjoyed the comfort of the sofa – and of each other.

 _I want to feel peaceful and happy._ The thought had leaped into Minori’s mind unbidden and her brow furrowed as she tried to push it away again. ‘ _Peaceful’ and ‘happy’ are_ _signs of_ _complacency and I must not be complacent! I must remain driven to achieve my goal! I must…_ Minori looked longingly at Ryuuji’s face once again. _… remain driven._

“Hey,” Suzume jostled Minori to get her attention, “they say you’re into sports. What do you do?”

“I play softball.” Minori answered.

“Oh,” Suzume recalled, “my sister wanted me to play softball when I entered middle school, but I wasn’t any good at it.”

“Yeah,” Minori sympathized, “it can be difficult. But you can sing, right? That’s something I’m not very good at.”

“Yeah, we just started singing together.” Suzume asked as she pulled something out of her pocket, “Want to hear something good?”

“Huh?” Minori looked up at the tall red head sitting next to her. Even sitting down, this girl was tall. Suzume was smiling and had a cell phone in her hand with some ear-buds connected to it. “Sure, I think I need a distraction right now.”

“Don’t tell anyone, but I got a copy of our recording from yesterday.” Suzume winked, “So, wanna hear it?”

“Um, sure.” Minori took the ear-buds and put them on as Suzume started the song up. Minori closed her eyes and listened to the beautiful vocals and the haunting melody of the instruments. If it hadn’t been for Suzume telling her that it was the song they had just recorded, she wouldn’t have guessed it was something her friends had made. The song itself… Her eyes popped open as she thought she understood the message in the lyrics. But the song ended too soon and she was left with a disturbing suspicion. Minori looked up at Suzume who seemed to be watching her closely.

“Can, I hear that again?” Minori asked. She almost hoped the request would be denied. To have the suspicion confirmed could be… painful.

“Sure!” Suzume moved her thumb over the screen and soon the music was playing again.

Giving it her full attention, Minori caught it all now: The tragic longing for a certain, special someone. The incredible need for that particular person to accept them, to acknowledge their feelings. The desperate wish for understanding, compassion, and love. The pain of knowing that it could never be. When the song ended, she realized that she was staring at Ryuuji. The turmoil of her own emotions infused the song with a special meaning for her. Her own feelings for Ryuuji were brought out of the shadows and exposed by the gentle but emphatic words of the song. It was as if the music was forcing her to reflect and urging her to reconcile her own feelings. Minori felt a wetness on her eyes and looked down to hide her face from anyone that might look her way.

“Once more...” Minori pleaded a moment after the song ended, “please?”

“Um, sure.” Suzume started the song again and watched the pink haired girl with concern. She knew that the song came from one of Ryuuji’s notebooks of poems he had written when he was smitten with this girl, but that was a long time ago and there were no names in the song. _Surely she doesn’t know that this song is about her? Has she seen the poems after all?_ As she watched, she could see Minori’s shoulders sag, then shudder and Suzume knew the older girl was crying. _Oh no! Am I just being cruel by making her listen to this?_

The song ended again and this time Minori pulled out the ear-buds. She remained bent over and just stared at the colorful plastic ear-buds in her hands. She was still thinking… reflecting. Minori wondered if she could ever really reconcile.

“Are you okay?” Suzume asked timidly.

“Yeah,” Minori tried to restrain a sob, “I just need a minute.”

“Is there a problem with the song?” Suzume was still concerned, “Maybe we should change…”

“No,” Minori handed the ear-buds back to Suzume, then took the younger girl’s hand and squeezed it. She still hadn’t come to a reconciliation about herself, but about the song, she was certain, “The song is perfect just the way it is. You shouldn’t change a thing.”

  



	29. Obāsama's Gift

**Wednesday evening, October 14 – Hisamitsu Noto’s residence**

* * *

“Unbelievable.” Noto groaned as he lay with his head in Maya’s lap. “Why didn’t they listen? I told them this would happen.” _Why didn’t the fools listen?_

Maya could see how distressed Noto was and tried her best to comfort him. Gazing down at his face, she could see the slight frown of his mouth and the worry lines on his forehead. She also noticed that his wavy brown hair had grown out a bit recently and his bangs were too long now. Without knowing it, she was softly humming an almost forgotten nursery tune while watching Noto and brushing his hair out of his eyes.

“Do not trouble yourself too much, Noto-sama.” Shinako tried to comfort him, “Even if your whole school had been swayed by your argument, it would have changed nothing. The decision was made by the prefecture government.”

Noto had to agree that his elder cousin was right about that. He knew that Shinako’s intention had been to give him some solace and her words had been successful, if only a little. Truly, he found more consolation in the contact between his head and Maya’s thighs, than anything else. Her skin was soft and warm and he could swear she smelled vaguely of wild flowers. Closing his eyes for a moment, he thought of how comforting Maya was, and what an excellent thing it was to lay with his head in her lap. From here, he could feel the softness and warmth of her touch, smell her light but nonetheless intoxicating aroma, see her loving smile and beautiful face, and hear her pleasant gentle humming as she caressed him and ran her fingers through his hair. Something was bothering him though. _Feel, smell, see, hear…_

“Oh!” Maya was concerned when she saw Noto’s eyes spring open and a blush cover his cheeks. Her first fear was that something was wrong with his recovery, but she could see from his reaction that it looked more like he was suddenly embarrassed about something. Trying to help him get past it or at least cover it up, she reached over to the bowl of fruit on the table and offered, “I picked up some fresh red grapes on my way over. Care for a taste?”

 _Taste!_ Noto suddenly worried that Maya had been reading his mind.

Maya was perplexed. For some reason, Noto’s blush deepened when she made the offer, but he accepted the grapes.

Shinako and Obasama smiled as they watched the playful, if sometimes awkward antics of youth. Obasama had initially thought that Maya was too immature, wild, and… unrefined to be Noto’s chosen. She would not have acquiesced and given her approval if it had not been for Shinako’s staunch support of both Noto’s judgment and Maya’s character. She was glad now that she did. Watching the young couple warmed her heart and assured her that they would have many happy years ahead of them.

Along with his elder cousin and his grandmother, he and Maya had made themselves comfortable in the living room of Noto’s house where they were watching the evening news at the moment. Although watching the evening news was not something that most high school kids would normally choose to do, this particular broadcast held special significance just now. The reporters and studio anchors were talking about the effects of the Pandemic and covering the story of the prefecture government’s decision to close the schools. The prefectures closest to Tokyo and Osaka were first, but gradually – one after another, they were all announcing closures. Public and private institutions, from the neighborhood elementary schools all the way to the major universities… they were all closing down. And that wasn’t all. As Noto had announced to his class only a week before, they were also announcing the closing of amusement parks, shopping malls, sports and performance venues, even libraries.

Soon, there would be nothing to do and nowhere to go in all of Japan. Or at least, that is how it seemed. It wasn’t unexpected, but it was still a shock. It bothered Noto tremendously that the vaccine had been available since the middle of September and now, almost a month later, most of the populace still had not been inoculated.

“I understand your concern… and anger Noto-kun.” Noto’s grandmother spoke up from her seat next to her trusted Shinako, “It has come to my attention that no more than half of our own family has responded to my call to get vaccinated.”

“Tch!” Noto’s annoyance was evident even to his Obasama. However, he did feel a bit of pride that Obasama had acted on his recommendation and had promoted the vaccine within the family. She had been fully aware that both Noto and Shinako had been inoculated early on with the trial serum. Indeed, the rest of the family had found out about it by the end of August. For a while, Noto wondered if Obasama might consider his judgment too rash, but that had not been the case. On the first day that the Japanese vaccine was available, she had arranged to be inoculated herself – and urged the rest of the family to do so as well. Without saying a word on his behalf, she had once again shown her approval of the grandson that showed so much promise.

“What would you have me do?” Obasama raised her empty hands and said, “I can tell them the right course of action, but I cannot take every one of them to a doctor to make sure they have complied.”

“Hmpf.” Noto thought for a moment then came up with an idea. “Can you get me a list of our family members that can prove that they have been vaccinated?”

“Yes, I can do that.” Obasama answered, but wondered what was on his mind.

“What good would that do?” Shinako asked.

“It may not do any good now, but in a few years when I get out of college and take on the responsibility of leadership, it will.” Noto said, “I’ll need to know which family members can be trusted and which ones show a spectacular lack of good judgment.”

“Why Noto-kun,” Obasama sounded amused, “how ruthless of you! If you are not careful, you may end up with a reputation that you are as merciless as me.”

“If that is what is necessary to save the family…” Noto closed his eyes and wondered if he could really be ruthless and merciless enough to make the hard decisions and do what had to be done. He knew that his family was counting on him to lead them into the future, but he wondered if they realized what that might mean along the way. Cherished businesses may need to be liquidated or eliminated, some of the family’s traditional lands may need to be sold off. New endeavors would require changes in established practices and new ways of thinking. Not all of his family members would welcome these changes. Today, he could go to a family reunion and see his aunts, uncles, grandparents, and numerous cousins looking back at him with compassion and hope. He wondered how many of them would hate him before he was done. His hand moved to cover the pain in his chest as he thought, _Before it is all over, how many of them might wish that I had not survived the attack._ Noto opened his eyes and looked up into the concerned face of his beloved Maya.

“Noto,” Maya smiled as she brushed his hair from his eyes again, “I believe you can be ruthless if you have to be. But merciless? I don’t think my Noto can ever be without mercy.”

“Well said, Maya-chan.” Obasama smiled at the future grand-daughter-in-law and said, “For myself, I do not believe that your wedding can come quickly enough. I would have you as an official member of this family as soon as possible.”

“Thank you very much, Obasama!” Maya blushed as she thanked the family matriarch. Maya couldn’t help but sneak a look at the lovely engagement ring adorning her finger.

“It appears that she is looking forward to being a Hisamitsu bride.” Shinako commented after catching Maya at admiring her ring.

“Eh?” Maya looked up to see the two elder Hisamitsu women smiling while watching her.

“That is just the beginning,” Obasama said to her trusted granddaughter, “I expect young Maya to become a Hisamitsu mother in short order.”

“Eh!” Maya’s blush deepened.

“I’m not getting any younger,” Obasama reasoned, “and I would like to see my great-grandchildren before I am done with this life.”

“Children?” Maya sounded almost panicked.

“Surely you noticed that the Hisamitsu clan is a big family?” Shinako explained, “Big families don’t happen without lots of children.”

“Lots of children!” Maya almost squeaked. Her face was as white as a ghost as she looked at the serious expressions on her soon-to-be relatives.

Unable to hold the serious expressions much longer, Shinako and Obasama both burst out in laughter.

“Tell me, Maya,” Shinako asked, “do you think your friends have received Obasama’s invitations yet?”

“They have.” Maya answered, “They have already texted me a few questions and it looks like they are gathering at Ami’s house to talk about it.”

“Invitations?” Noto seemed to be the only person in the room not in the loop this time.

“Yes.” Maya looked back down at Noto’s curious face and told him, “Invitations to… a wonderful gift your Obasama has arranged for us, and all of our friends.”

“Eh?” Noto hadn’t heard anything about this and wondered what his grandmother had in mind. She wasn’t always ruthless and merciless, but she was always cunning.

.

**Wednesday evening, October 14 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

“Eh?” Suzume gaped.

“I hadn’t heard anything about this.” Ami seemed to be in disbelief.

“What is Noto’s Obasama thinking?” Hisako wondered.

“What?” Yasuko had just come in from putting groceries away. “What’s going on?”

“Noto’s Obasama…” Nanako was about to start explaining again when Ryuuji put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

“Not yet,” Ryuuji said as he headed for the kitchen, “Wait until everyone gets here or you’ll lose your voice repeating yourself.”

Nanako agreed and followed Ryuuji into the kitchen to help him make snacks for everyone. There would be quite a few people coming over after all.

Ryuuji was peripherally aware that everyone else in the house was moving about and rapping up what had been a fairly eventful day, but his attention was focused on Nanako for the moment. He knew it was something he naturally did now as a habit. Since a month ago, when she had only recently been released from the hospital and was still quite frail, he had become accustomed to keeping an eye out for her whenever they were in the kitchen and especially whenever she had something sharp or breakable in her hands. She had been getting stronger and stronger every day and he noticed that she was doing much better now. Her cooking skills had improved, but it was her grace and control that had really impressed him. He found that he was relying on her more and watching out for her less as she became stronger and more confident. The doctors had said that she might not be fully recovered until the end of the year, so she still had a few more months of improvement to look forward to. Ryuuji smiled while watching her skillful handling of a knife as a couple of onions became finely diced and ready for caramelizing. Ryuuji took a moment to think about how far she had come since that time he visited her in the hospital, then he went back to his own preparations.

The next time he looked up, he saw that Ami was watching him. At first, Ryuuji only smiled back at her but the realization hit him that she might have seen him giving a lot of attention to Nanako. He was about to explain that it was only out of concern for her safety when he saw that her expression was more thoughtful than jealous.

“Ryuuji,” Ami sounded as if she was still rolling the idea around in her mind, “with the additional responsibilities you’ve taken on, you’re going to need some help the next time we go away for a shoot.”

“Additional responsibilities?” Ryuuji gawked.

“Yeah,” Ami said dismissively, “last time…”

“Last time? Let’s see, how did you put it last time?” Ryuuji pretended to think hard. Then, with a wry smile he said, “I was your chef, your nutritionist, your personal assistant, your bodyguard, your masseuse, your travel planner, your fake manager, and your pretend boyfriend.”

“What!” Ami snapped when she heard Ryuuji’s last two words. She stood up and her eyes were open wide in anger, “Take it back!”

“Huh?” Ryuuji had just meant to play with Ami a bit but it looked like she was getting furious.

“Pretend… boyfriend!” Ami spat. She felt as if a clamp were closing around her chest. _What the hell is happening to me? I feel angry, afraid, and humiliated all at once… but why? I don’t even know why!_ Ami’s lips were trembling and her body started to shake. _What’s wrong with me? I feel like I’m going to black out. Somebody, please help_ _me_ _!_

“I’ve got you.” Ryuuji said simply as he pulled Ami into his arms. “I’m sorry if I upset you. I was only talking about the trip to Tokyo. I was only your pretend boyfriend then.”

 _No, you really weren’t._ Ami still felt the dark emotions washing over her like a stormy sea, even though Ryuuji was holding her so close she could feel his heart beating in his chest. She knew she was being irrational but she just couldn’t stop the doubts from welling up. _Even then, I loved you. Even before then. You never saw it. You never knew. Maybe…_ _maybe_ _you didn’t want to see it…_ _maybe…_

“It was during that trip to Tokyo that I fell in love with you.” Ryuuji felt the change in Ami as soon as those words left his lips. The shaking almost completely stopped. Her angry eyes softened and started to tear up. He continued to hold her but moved his hand to her head and ran his fingers through her soft blue hair as he whispered to her, “That was a wonderful trip wasn’t it? We met Hisako, Umeko, Suzume, and Yukiko on that trip. We stayed in an incredible Hotel, we went sightseeing, and the shopping trip was fun too. But the most important things to me will always be when I realized that I loved you and when I found out that you loved me too.”

“Oh Ryuuji, I’m supposed to be strong and fearless. I’m supposed to be one step ahead of you.” Ami stifled a sob, “Why am I always so afraid… afraid that this is all just a dream and someday I’m going to wake up without you? Why? Why am I so afraid!”

“Hey, sometimes I feel the same way.” Ryuuji lifted her chin so he was looking into her big purple eyes, “I've never been this happy in my whole life. Sometimes I feel like I am too happy and this can’t be real. I have the same fear of waking up alone… without any friends… without you.”

“Well,” Hisako’s voice broke into their romantic moment, “that certainly escalated quickly.”

“They fight just like a real couple.” Yasuko said with a concerned smile.

“It also de-escalated quickly.” Nanako said as she set a serving tray of triangle sandwiches down on the table.

“They make up like a real couple too!” Yasuko said with a much brighter smile.

The comments made both Ami and Ryuuji blush a little more. But it didn't make them let go of each other. Ami held on for several minutes. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed the comfort of his arms around her now. She lay her head on him and felt the warmth from his chest radiating into her cheek. _This is real. This feeling is so wonderful; it has become such a big part of me. It is part of who I am now. I can never lose this. If I did… it would destroy me… I just know it._ Gone were the carefree but unsatisfying days of teasing and taunting Ryuuji then walking away as if it was all a joke. No more leaving giant question marks of puzzlement growing out of his unkempt hair like fast growing weeds on an unruly lawn. That had all been part of the facade and she was done with that now. She had vowed that the real Ami wouldn’t do those things. The real Ami would be honest with Ryuuji. But first, the real Ami would have to be honest with herself.

.

Outside the house, a pink haired girl stood and wondered what she was doing. _Why am I here... again?_ She had been invited to come back to the Kawashima house by Nanako. Nanako wouldn’t say what it was about, but she did make Minori promise to be there. At first she had planned on canceling but with no practices to go to since most of her softball team was out sick, there wasn’t any good excuse for her. _Still… should I even be here?_ It was a question she had asked herself a dozen times on the walk over, but each time she had found the courage to take another step. Now that she was here, looking at the front of the house, the memory and the awkwardness of the day of the typhoon came back to her like the winds of the big storm itself. Fortunately, it wasn’t until the storm had passed and she was on her way home that she found out that the song that Suzume had played from her phone had been written by Ryuuji… about her. Hisako had been the one to tell her. Closing her eyes, she remembered the conversation as if it had just happened.

“ _Listen, Minori-chan… there’s something you should know.” the tall raven haired model seemed reticent to say what she felt needed to be said. “I didn’t like you… at first. I didn’t know the whole story but it seemed to me like you had taken Ryuuji’s love for you and threw it away like it was just some old garbage. I didn't know if I could ever forgive you for that.”_

“ _No… I…” Minori wanted to defend herself but she had been feeling that way too. For some time she had been wondering how she could have discarded both his feelings and her own so casually. If she had known then how much it would hurt now… but she didn’t know. It had been the best decision she could make at the time. But still… Hisako’s comments were like arrows that pierced her to the soul._

“ _I know now,” Hisako took a step toward the faltering jock, “I was wrong to think that way. It’s all good now.”_

“ _It is?” Minori wanted to hear how it could be all good now. Maybe it would help to heal the hole in her own heart._

“ _I don’t know how much you've heard about my own history, but lets just say that I never had any real friends until Ami and Ryuuji.” Hisako said, “They mean everything to me and I would do anything for them.”_

“ _Yeah, I can see that.” Minori offered._

“ _You don’t know what it’s like. Not even Ami. But Ryuuji is like me, he didn’t have any meaningful friends for most of his life either. So… I kinda know how he feels when it comes to appreciating the friendships he has.” Hisako put a hand on the shorter pink haired girl’s shoulder, “That’s why I don’t hate you any more. Even if you couldn’t return his love, at least you didn’t turn your back on him. You remained a friend. From what I can tell, a pretty good friend. And I know that he treasures your friendship more than he regrets the relationship that was not meant to be.”_

“ _Yeah… me too.” Minori could only say that much in her confusion. Even as she said it, she wondered if it was true at all. She wanted to scream that she wasn’t so sure any more. The dreams and commitments that she made just a few years ago seemed so distant now and she wasn’t as sure as she used to be. It felt like parts of her life were unraveling and she didn’t know how to fix it._

“ _So it’s only fair that you know that we just recorded a song that Ryuuji wrote.” Hisako said._

“ _What?” Minori’s eyes opened wide, “Ryuuji wrote that song that Suzume played for me?”_

“ _Suzume played it for you?” Hisako made a half-smile, “Then I guess you’ve already figured out that he wrote that song for you.”_

“ _For me?” Minori shrieked._

“ _Oh, I guess you didn’t figure it out.” Hisako looked away, “He wrote it a long time ago when he was infatuated with you, but too scared to do anything about it. There is… a whole box of that stuff.”_

“ _A whole box?” Minori’s hands spread out to suggest something the size of a shoe box._

“ _No,” Hisako took Minori’s wrists and spread them farther apart so that she was gesturing something the size of a small moving box. “A whole box.”_

“ _Ah...” Minori’s jaw dropped. Taiga had mentioned that he had made some recordings and wrote some stuff but never said it was something like this. “Why… why are you telling me this now?”_

“ _When that song goes public, there will be lots of questions. Ami has some pretty avid fans, and the magazine reporters aren’t much better.” Hisako took a breath and warned Minori, “Sooner or later it will come out and you may be the target of someones questions too.”_

“ _What… what should I say?” Minori thought this was a bit overblown at first, but Hisako wasn’t some fantasizing teen, she had been in the entertainment industry for a while and… she might be right._

“ _Tell them the truth.” Hisako advised, “The romance never happened but you are still the best of friends.”_

“ _That’s the truth…” Minori felt saddened somehow by Hisako’s short summary of her relationship with Ryuuji, but… Minori repeated Hisako’s words, “… best of friends.” She looked up to see the taller raven haired girl watching her closely, “We’re the best of friends?”_

“ _Yes, of course you are.” Hisako’s eyebrow raised as she watched the shorter girl._

“ _Thank… thank you very much, Hisako-san.” Minori bowed as she made her thanks. Then, before Hisako could see the wetness in her eyes, she turned and walked quickly towards home._

The conversation had happened here… in front of this house. And now, she was here again. Still wondering why she had decided to accept Nanako’s invitation, she didn’t hear her name being called the first or even the second time. Finally blinking her way out of her fugue state, she turned and saw her teacher walking up the street toward her.

“Minori-chan!” Yuri called out with a smile.

“Sensei!” Minori felt the doubts melting away as she saw the welcome smile on her teacher’s face. She realized almost instantly that this wasn’t a chance meeting and Yuri-sensei was coming to Ami’s house as well. “You're walking so much better now. Are you completely healed up?”

“Not completely,” Yuri smiled at her polite student, “sometimes there is still a little pain, but I'm almost there.”

“That's great!” Minori cheered. Then, glancing at the house they were both heading for, she asked, “Do you know what’s going on?”

“No,” Yuri smiled as they walked toward the door, “but knowing this bunch, it’s sure to be interesting.”

.

“Wow, there are a lot of people here.” Minori looked around the living room and was amazed. Every chair was occupied and in some cases, double occupied. Ami was sitting in Ryuuji’s lap. Aiko-chan was sitting in Yasuko’s lap. There was a fidgeting and struggling girl sitting in Suzume’s lap. She looked embarrassed to be there but Suzume was smiling and wouldn't let her go.

“Who is the girl in Suzume's lap?” Minori asked quietly.

“That’s her older sister, Umeko.” Nanako whispered from her side. “She’s not really mad. Suzume teases her for being short, but they do love each other.”

“Who is the girl sitting in Haruta-san’s lap?” Yuri asked. She knew it wasn’t one of her students and she didn’t remember seeing her at the school either.

“She is Haruta’s fiancé…” Nanako was going to explain more but the door-bell rang again and Nanako smiled knowing that the last of the invitees were here now. “I’ll be right back.”

 _Oh that’s right!_ Yuri gave herself a mental slap. _She was at the Obon festival. She looks so different tha_ _n_ _when she wore the Yukata._

.

At the front door was an embarrassed looking middle-school girl with two adults that must be her parents. The parents seemed to be concerned as they stood on the doorstep with their daughter. The man was holding a pink rolling suitcase by the handle.

“Ueda-san,” Nanako asked the man, “is there a problem?”

“We just wanted to meet the parents,” the woman said.

“Our daughter has never been away from home like this…” the man seemed more worried than concerned.

“Please, come in.” Nanako smiled. “I’m sure you will feel better about the friends your daughter has fallen in with after you meet them.”

“Fallen in with?” the mother asked nervously.

“Indeed,” Nanako smiled, “most of the people here are in their last year of high school, as am I. Others include a parent, an older sibling, a high school teacher, a grade school student, and another middle school student. Some of them are celebrities. Some of them are heroes. All of them are friends.”

“Celebrities?” the mother asked dubiously.

“Heroes?” the father asked with a bit of surprise.

“Do you now know where you are?” Nanako asked them as they got to the entrance of the living room that was full of people, “This is the home of Kawashima Ami. And all of these people are her friends.”

The mother was awestruck. She was one of the many people that kept up with celebrities. Watching the shows about the entertainment industry and reading the celebrity insider magazines were her hobbies. She knew exactly who Kawashima Ami was, so she just smiled when her daughter had come home with outlandish stories about making a friend at school with a model and singer that claimed to be friends with Kawashima Ami. It was the first time that her daughter had been that excited about something at school, so if she wanted to have a little fantasy, that was okay too. But there was no mistaking the blue haired girl just a few meters away in the lap of… the scariest man she had ever seen… in person, anyway. In disbelief she muttered, “But… how can this be?”

In her stunned state, she watched her daughter run over to a couch filled with people. One girl became very excited and unceremoniously dumped a smaller girl onto the carpeted floor as she got up to greet her little Umeki. The red headed girl was at least twenty-five centimeters taller than her daughter. The difference was made even more evident when the taller girl lifted Umeki off her feet in an excited hug of greeting.

“Well,” the stunned father said quietly, “Umeki did tell us that her friend was tall.” It wasn’t much, but it was all he could manage to process at the moment.

.

Umeki’s parents left almost an hour later. They were still a little stunned but they were now comfortable with letting their daughter stay with these friends for a while. The father was going over the notes that Nanako had made for him. There was information on where they would be and several emergency contact numbers. This had been well thought out and prepared. He was impressed and had to admit that he felt a lot more comfortable about the arrangements than he had thought he would. His wife was still going over the troubling things that had just been revealed to her.

“That was Kawashima Ami. I met Kawashima Ami. And I met Kurosawa Hisako. They said they are friends. But they're not friends. They are enemies, or at best – rivals. But…” She turned to her husband and with the confusion on her face matching the confusion in her voice, she said, “That can't be right, can it? If it is… all of my magazines are wrong. All of them. Can it be right?”

“It will be okay dear,” he held her hand and consoled her as they walked home, “It wouldn't be the first time the magazines were wrong, would it?”

.

“All right everyone!” Ryuuji called out, “We’re all here now, so it looks like it’s time to find out what this is all about.” As soon as the room had quieted a bit, he sat down and told the girl with the long purple hair, “It’s all yours, Nanako-chan.”

“Noto’s Obasama has offered a gift to all of us.” Nanako explained, “Because of the school shutdown we all have a rare opportunity to take a vacation together. Obasama’s gift is a Koyo trip to the Sukasu Onsen at Mount Hakkoda.”

“What!” several surprised voices said together.

“A Koyo trip?” Yasuko sighed, “I’ve never seen the leaves change colors up in the mountains before, this should be wonderful!”

“What’s a Koyo trip, onee-chan?” Aiko-chan asked Yasuko.

“Koyo means ‘autumn colors’ and a koyo trip is when you go to the mountains where they have lots of trees that are turning from green to reds and yellows and brown.” Yasuko told her, “It’s beautiful… or at least the pictures are. I’ve never been to see it myself.”

“I wanna go too!” Aiko-chan cried out in support of her onee-chan.

“I’d really love to, but I just don’t think that I should…” Yuri started to make her apologies but Ami interrupted her.

“Yuri-sensei, do you remember what happened on the train to Tokyo, when you tried to deny my invitation to join us?” Ami asked with a wry smile.

“Yes, I do.” Yuri shivered as she remembered Yasuko’s demonic fingers finding every ticklish spot on her body. _But I should be safe this time, she is sitting down with Aiko-chan in her lap and…_ “Eh?” Yuri noticed that Aiko-chan was sitting alone just as she felt long nimble fingers slide up her ribs. _No, that’s not possible! She was just there… just a second ago. How?_ “Ah! No, that’s not fair!” Yuri cried out.

“Promise you’ll join us.” Ami demanded as she held out her fist with her thumb pointing off to the side.

“I’ll see what I can do, but I really don’t think…” Yuri was trying to set Ami’s expectations that she wouldn't be able to make it.

Ami smiled, but at the same time rotated her hand so that her thumb was now facing down. For the briefest of moments, Yuri recalled that this was how the regent at that Colosseum in Rome would tell the gladiator to show no mercy to his prey.

“AIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Yuri dropped to the floor as Yasuko's sinister fingers wriggled and flexed to find all the most ticklish places along her ribs. Between laughter and gasps for air, she was finally able to cry out, “Okay, okay! I promise I’ll be there!”

Like a miracle, the tickling stopped and Yuri was able to open her eyes. She saw Ami smiling and her thumb was now in the up – mercy position. After catching her breath, Yuri started to get up when Ami rotated her hand to thumbs down again.

“Huh? AIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!” After a moment, Yuri was looking up from the floor as she once again fought for air. She wanted to catch her breath so she could ask…

“What was that for?” Ryuuji asked Ami.

“Oh, nothing special.” Ami smiled, “It’s just a lot of fun!”

“Stop it…” Ryuuji said over folded arms to his wickedly grinning fiancé.

.

**Thursday morning, October 15 – Shinkansen Hayabusa Green Car**

* * *

“Wow, we’re really flying now!” Aiko-chan cheered.

“We sure are!” Yasuko was just as excited to be on the fast moving train as the young girl sitting in her lap. They were both watching the scenery zooming by the window at unbelievable speeds. Nearby houses, buildings, and farmland blurred and in the distance, the white capped mountains reflected the morning sun in brilliant incandescence.

Ryuuji was going over the timetables in his head as the scenery flashed by the big windows. They had already been on one Shinkansen for an hour for the ride into the Tokyo station. Fortunately, they only had to wait for one more hour to catch the Shinkansen Hayabusa for the ride to Hachinohe, but that was two hours ago and they would be on this train for another three hours. After arriving at Hachinohe, they would be on a bus for an hour an a half before they finally got to the Sukasu Onsen… and dinner. He decided that now would be a good time for lunch… and surprises.

The layout of this Green Car was not the same as the one they had taken to Tokyo. It didn’t have any seats that faced each other and they were all in pairs. Their group was more broken up over the seating arrangement, but a lot of the seating ended up being in pairs anyway. Of course, Ami and Ryuuji would be together, but there were other pairs as well. Hisako and Nanako sat in the seats across the aisle from Ryuuji. A few rows back, Noto and Maya sat together with Noto’s cousin and grandmother in the seats across the aisle from them. A few rows behind them were Haruta an his fiancé. In the other seats, Suzume chose to sit with her school friend Umeki over her sister Umeko, but her sister was just across the aisle so she didn’t mind so much. Aiko-chan was in Yasuko’s lap more than she was in her own seat and across the aisle from them were Minori and Yuri-sensei. Yuri was sleeping peacefully while Minori watched the energetic Aiko-chan and Ryuuji’s youthful looking mother.

Ami was asleep next to Ryuuji. Her hand still held his, but her grip was relaxed and he was able to disentangle himself without waking her. As he made his way to the back of the car where their luggage was stowed, he saw that Yuri was asleep as expected… and hoped for. Quietly, he signed for Minori to follow him and tapped Aiko-chan as well. “Can you help me with the lunches?” he asked the bright-eyed girl.

“Yes!” Aiko-chan bounced to her feet.

“I can help too.” Yasuko started to get up but Ryuuji stopped her.

“Not this time,” he smiled, “I have enough help for now.

Minori had been bored and a little depressed on the ride so far. The way the seating had worked out, she had ended up not seated next to any of her friends, or even anyone her own age. Yuri-sensei was a nice enough person, but it was obvious that she had been up late the night before and had gone to sleep in her seat soon after the train had left Tokyo. _At least now_ _I’m_ _doing something useful… with Ryuuji._ She almost walked into the back of Aiko-chan while trying to shake the thought from her mind.

Ryuuji came to a stop several rows before they got to the back of the Green Car and turned to talk to the two girls. “Aiko-chan, I need you to promise me something.”

“What?” Aiko-chan responded with excitement.

“In a moment, I am going to show you something that is going to make you very happy, but you have to promise me that you won’t make any loud noises.” Ryuuji explained, “Other passengers on the train are asleep now and it would be rude to wake them.”

“Okay,” Aiko-chan was bouncing on her toes wondering what Ryuuji would show her, “I promise!”

Both Ryuuji and Minori wondered if the excited little girl had the ability to stay quiet and keep her promise.

“All right then,” Ryuuji guided Aiko-chan and Minori to the back of the train and turned her to look at the tall girl sitting in the aisle seat.

When Aiko-chan realized who she was looking at, her jaw dropped and her eyes opened wider. Both of her small hands covered her mouth as she started bouncing up and down on her toes. The tall blond Australian grabbed Aiko-chan into a tight hug and the two girls rubbed noses together.

“It’s good to see you too, Aiko-chan!” Deena Walker said quietly, “I’m so glad you remembered me.”

“I won’t forget you, Deena-chan!” Aiko-chan hugged the tall girl around the neck as tears of joy spilled from her eyes. “I won’t _ever_ forget you!”

“Minori-chan,” Ryuuji said as he stepped out of the way, “you remember Corporal Deena Walker and the Major?”

“Yes,” Minori was surprised to see them but stunned that Ryuuji had been able to do this and keep it a secret for so long.

“Now, I need to introduce you to Yamada Yukiko.” Ryuuji indicated the refined looking lady with dark brown hair and ice blue eyes that sat in the seat across the aisle from Deena.

“The lady that owns the hotel?” Minori remembered the name from one of the stories that she had heard about Ryuuji and Ami’s summer vacation.

“That’s right.” Yukiko smiled, “and you must be Kushieda Minori, the young softball star.”

“Yes!” Minori was stunned that this woman knew who she was. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“As much as I’d like to stay and chat, you’ll understand…” the Major was making his apologies but Ryuuji was ahead of him.

“No apologies necessary, Major.” Ryuuji held up his hand, “sending you to her as quickly as possible was always part of the plan anyway.”

When the Major got to the right row, Yuri was still asleep. He spent a moment watching her sleep before he sat down in the empty seat next to her. Reaching over, he took her hand and held it in his own while she slept. Her hand was warm and soft and her fingers seemed to naturally find their place between his larger stronger fingers, even in sleep.

.

The original plan was that Yukiko would sit down next to Ami and chat with her a bit before trading places with Ryuuji and getting a chance to catch up with Yasuko. However, Ami was sound asleep, so Yukiko plopped down in the empty seat next to the woman she would always think of as her favorite onee-chan. She smiled innocently while she held up the two bento boxes and almost giggled at the shocked look on the busty blonds face. Yasuko was about to shout but saw Yukiko raise a finger to her lips just in time.

“What? Yasuko wondered what was going on but followed Yukiko’s gaze over to the seats across the aisle where the Major was now seated next to the still sleeping Koigakubo Yuri. Yasuko’s jaw dropped again and she barely avoided another shout. “How… Why… When did you get here? How do you know the Major?”

“I was already on the train when you guys boarded.” Yukiko explained, “Ryuuji set this all up. He wanted to make it a nice surprise.”

“It is!” Yasuko could barely contain herself. “It is a wonderful surprise! Not a day goes by that I don’t remember the wonderful time we had with you in Tokyo… and your dreamy hotel. It was so nice, sometimes I wonder if it really happened.”

“Oh stop,” Yukiko smiled, “you act like that was the first vacation you had ever been on.”

“It was.” Yasuko confessed.

“Huh?” Yukiko was shocked. She remembered Ryuuji’s comments that Ami would leave him one day because she was a celebrity while he was just an ordinary guy from a humble background. _I may have misunderstood how humble his background was._ “That was your first vacation, ever?”

“Yes,” Yasuko didn’t seem embarrassed about it. Indeed, she happily told her friend, “I’m so glad that my first vacation ever was with you in your beautiful hotel. It was so wonderful. Everything was just perfect!”

“I should have you write my advertising.” Yukiko laughed. It had been a different story from her perspective. The lobby was such a mess that she had her only guests use the back entrance. The main elevators didn’t work. The hotel's kitchen and restaurant were a disaster. Only the penthouse where Ami and her friends were staying, and the top three floors were finished out. For the first several days that they were there, she had been convinced that Ryuuji was a spy or a saboteur intent on destroying her bid at becoming the next head of the Yamada family and its hotel and restaurant businesses. She was still amazed at how much better things had been after she stopped suspecting Ryuuji, and started trusting him instead.

“So, how do you know the Major?” Yasuko asked again.

“You, Hisako, and Yuri told me all about him in your letters, silly!” Yukiko plinked her finger on Yasuko's forehead. “I saw him for the first time on the train this morning and I just knew it was him.”

“Really?” Yasuko looked over at the Major and gave her friend a dubious look, “You saw a foreigner in an American military uniform and you instantly knew it was Yuri-chan’s Major?”

“Well,” Yukiko admitted, “that… and he is traveling with this towering blond girl in an Australian uniform.”

“I guess that does kinda give it away.” Yasuko giggled. “Now, tell me about your hotel! I want to hear everything!”

“Okay, but then I want to hear about everything you did since you left Tokyo. I read it in the letters but I want to hear it all over again from you!”

.

A few rows away, Minori was now sitting down next to Minami Umeko. Her seat next to Yuri-sensei had been given up to the Major so now she was sitting next to… someone she barely knew.

“Eh, heh heh. Um, I know we met at the Obon festival, but um…” Minori’s smile started to fade. She was feeling like she didn’t fit in with anyone any more. Minori felt herself losing her bubbling personality as she realized that everyone else here had a lot of recent common experiences on which to build their friendships while the only thing she had been concentrating on recently was…

“Softball.” Umeko said as she looked up at the troubled pink haired girl. Troubled, and now surprised. “Right? You’re the one that plays softball?”

“Um, yeah.” Minori was still stunned that Suzume’s sister would know that about her.

“I figured Ryuuji would sit you down next to me sooner or later.” Umeko patted the seat next to her.

“Why do you say that?” Minori asked as she slid into the offered seat.

“What do you know of the 2006 Japan Softball Association Women’s Team?” Umeko asked.

“They took second place at the World Championship in Beijing that year.” Minori answered. It had been a tough loss. There had been a lot of hope that year that the Japanese team would finally win the Gold again.

“I missed going to that tournament because of a bad sprain to my ankle.” Umeko smiled, “Sometimes I wonder if things might have gone differently if I had gone instead of my replacement.”

“You,” Minori gasped, “you were on the team?”

“Yeah,” Umeko looked down and closed her eyes as she remembered the frustration when the doctor told her how badly her ankle had been damaged. “Listen… forget what I just said. Truth is, my replacement played spectacularly. I watched every game from my bed at home and she was perfect.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Minori smiled back at Umeko, “I start rethinking everything after a loss too.” Minori's loneliness faded away as she was able to dive into a conversation with another softball compatriot.

.

Yuri woke to a strange sensation. Someone was holding her hand. At first she thought that she was dreaming, but it was all too real. _Why is someone holding my hand? Wait a minute… who was sitting next to me? Minori-chan? Why would Minori-chan be holding my hand? No… it can’t be her, the hand is too big. Ryuuji-kun? No, the hand is bigger tha_ _n_ _Ryuuji’s… it feels like it is as big as… !_ Yuri sat bolt upright with that last thought and slowly turned to see who was holding her hand. There, in the seat next to her where she expected to see Minori-chan, was the Major. He was sleeping peacefully next to her and holding her hand. She wanted to reach across and poke him with her other hand to make sure he was real, but she was equally afraid that she might shatter such a happy illusion. As she sat and quietly watched him, he stirred. Slowly turning his head, he blinked open his eyes and looked back at her.

“Oh, you’re awake.” he commented as if there was nothing at all unusual about being there, “Are you hungry? I have some bento boxes that Ryuuji made.”

Without a word, Yuri swarmed across the seat into his lap, facing him. She kissed him hard and passionately. Whether this was real or a dream, she wanted this kiss and she wanted it in no small measure.

“Wow,” another passenger seated nearby observed, “I don’t know who this Ryuuji guy is, but he must make one hell of a bento.”

.

**Thursday evening, October 15 – Sukasu Onsen**

* * *

The train and bus trip was finally over and everyone felt relieved to get to a place that had a room waiting for them. Although the inn was fairly large, the Pandemic had caused a lot of cancellations and there were few guests even during the area’s peak Koyo time. Hisamitsu Obasama had used that as a bargaining chip to get as many rooms as possible for her party. There was one large room that everyone would end up calling ‘The Girl’s Room’ but there were several other rooms for couples that had their own hot spring fed baths on terraces that overlooked the surrounding mountains and countless colorful trees on the nearby valleys and hillsides.

Minori and her newfound friend, Minami Umeko were in The Girl’s Room. Umeko’s sister, Suzume, and her school friend Umeki, as well as Deena Walker and Aiko-chan, were in the room with them. None of them would begrudge the couples that had the private rooms with the terrace baths. The inn also had very nice hot spring baths for men and women and even a mixed area for the mud bath. There were a few frowns when the group consensus was to eat first since the kitchen would be closing soon. The frowns went away as they drew close to the dining room and the aroma’s of a delicious meal wafted its way to them.

“Still,” Ami pouted to Ryuuji who had voted against her in favor of eating now and waiting to hit the hot spring baths, “I'm going to regret not getting in a good soak before I go to bed… especially after that long bus ride.”

“No you're not.” Ryuuji smirked, “The baths are opened all night.”

“Eh?” Ami looked sidelong at him.

“And besides,” he lectured her, “we have a hot bath on the terrace of our room that you can use any time.”

“Oh Ryuuji,” Ami sounded exasperated, “sometimes you have no delicacy at all! Can't you tell when a girl just wants to pout?”

“Um, no.” Ryuuji answered honestly, “Maybe you could clue me in when you need a good pout. Maybe stick out your lower lip and go 'Hmpf' a lot.”

“Hpmf!” Ami looked away for a minute but she didn't really need to pout all that much. “Anyways, it has been a long trip and I look forward to some uneventful soaking tomorrow.”

“Um…” Ryuuji was almost afraid to tell her but felt that he needed to, “just after breakfast, a bus is picking us up for a hike in the mountains to see the best views of the changing of the leaves.”

“Another surprise Ryuuji!” Ami rounded on him as they walked through the curtains into the Inn's big dining room, “I don't know if I can take any more surprises for a while. I really need to relax for a bit before you hit me with another one, got it?”

“Um… yeah.” Ryuuji's response betrayed his own surprise. Ami turned to see what he was looking at and her eyes fell on an elegant lady with long blue hair looking back at her.

“Mom?” Ami gasped in astonishment.


	30. Greetings From The West

**Thursday morning, October 15 – Roy’s Redwoods Preserve, California**

* * *

“Sometimes I really don't know what the hell you're thinking.” Sumire Kano grumbled as she stomped through the wooded trails in the early morning darkness.

“In English!” Kitamura Yusaku insisted as he pulled her along. They were both dressed warmly but the early morning air in the hills this close to the ocean was both cold and humid. It was the kind of cold that cut right through the clothes and right now it felt like it was cutting through Sumire. She grumbled again thinking how much she would like to order him to take her back to the comfort of her dormitory. But all of her badges of authority were gone. This was an American college and, although she was his senior in age (by less than half a year), she wasn't his senpai… or as they would say here… she wasn't his upperclassman. To her great chagrin, he was considered to be in the same class as her even though she technically had more courses completed. Even that claim wouldn't last long, and she knew it.

At first, she was astounded at how many courses he had elected to take in his first semester. Having just completed several courses over the Summer semester, she knew how difficult the classes were at this prestigious school and warned him not to bite off too much. When he didn't listen, she was bitter; she had deliberately given him the ‘don’t come crying to me’ attitude for his brazenness. When he appeared to be sailing through his courses with only a modicum of effort, she was pissed. When she found out he was tutoring some of her friends in classes he was taking with them, she was stunned. When her own friends suggested she get help with her mathematics from him, she was humiliated. The writing was on the wall for her and she knew it. It wouldn't be long before he was her upperclassman… her senpai.

She remembered the day she stormed into the room that he had acquired as his personal study hall…

.

_Sumire was furious. Kitamura had managed to get into three of the same classes she was taking and he was doing better than her in all three of them. She didn't know if she wanted an explanation or an apology or… what? She knew it would be futile to challenge him academically. She wondered if maybe she would feel better if she dragged him outside and beat the crap out of him. Storming into the room, she saw that he was, as expected, in the center of everything. A number of students had taken the chairs around him and it was apparent that he was helping them study on a variety of courses. Leaning over the table to his right and pointing to something in a textbook, Kitamura was currently helping one of her own friends. Looking at the books and listening for a moment she was stunned. 'He's helping a Canadian girl with her English class? What the hell! Where does he get off pretending to be so perfect? Kitamura, you really piss me off sometimes!' She was on the verge of screaming when she realized he was speaking to her._

“ _Sumire, I'm glad you're here.” Kitamura smiled, “We have a lot to cover before final exams and you're going to need better grades if you're still planning on being an astronaut.”_

“ _Huh?” Sumire's irritation mixed with confusion. 'What the hell? Was he expecting me to come here today?'_

“ _You are still planning to be an astronaut, aren't you?”Kitamura asked politely._

“ _What makes you think that…” Sumire could feel herself getting mad again and it only made it worse when he interrupted her._

“ _No no no,” Kitamura wagged his finger at her as she stewed, “in English, please. That is one of your weak courses so we will need to concentrate there as much as possible.”_

“ _How do you know it is one of my weak courses?” Sumire demanded… in English._

“ _Sumire,” the Canadian giggled, “he's in your class.”_

_Kitamura handed her a notebook that had her name on it… in his handwriting. 'DAMMIT, he WAS expecting me to come here!' She thought about throwing the notebook back at him but there was something familiar about this that made her pause. Her anger abated a little as she remembered the notebooks he used to make for her student council president responsibilities back in High School. Her memory for details had never been stellar so his little notebooks had saved her when it came to things like statistics, financials, and… remembering what classes she had with which friends…_

“ _Oh, right.” Sumire didn't like forgetting things like that but she liked it less when other people made a point of it. 'He's got that goofy grin on his face again. What the hell? Is he laughing at me?' But Sumire knew better. She knew that he loved her and had followed her all the way to this overseas university when he could have gone anywhere. In fact, he had only ever been supportive, gentle, and caring to her. And for all that, she had run away, told him not to follow, and was recently thinking about bludgeoning him until she felt better. 'I'm the worst.'_

“ _You'll really help me?” Sumire asked as she looked through the notebook and tried desperately not to look like she was pouting… or pleading._

“ _Of course,” Kitamura smiled, “I'll always be there to help you.”_

.

Helping her is what he said they were doing now. Sumire couldn't see how trudging through the frosty grass in the pre-dawn darkness of the morning was helping, but it seemed to be important to him. She did enjoy looking at the trees though. These redwoods were gigantic. She had heard that they were big, but nothing had prepared her for this. The bases of some of the tree’s were so big, if it were hollowed out, it could be a garage for a delivery truck. A part of her that was still in touch with her tomboyish youth tried to imagine what it might be like to climb one of these monsters. How far could she see from the tops of one of these tree’s she wondered. The little girl in her wanted to squeal and ask if she might be able to see Japan from those treetops but her educated mind knew better. She dismissed the activity since a climb like that would be exhausting – and getting exhausted was not on her to-do list for today.

“Here we are.” Kitamura said as they got to the top of the hill. Sumire’s smile at finally getting to the end of the forest trail was short lived.

“Oh no.” Sumire looked up at the countless steps that wrapped round and round the impossibly tall legs of the observation tower that they stood at the base of. As she pointed at the never-ending stairs, she looked at Kitamura’s smiling face and asked, “You’re kidding, right?”

“Not at all,” Kitamura took her pointing hand and pulled her along, “an astronaut candidate needs to be in peak physical form. This little climb should be nothing to you.”

“Little?” Sumire gasped.

“It’s not so bad,” Kitamura said as he led her along to taking the first steps, “you’ve climbed more steps than these to get to hilltop shrines back home, right?”

Sumire only grumbled in response. Sure, she had climbed a lot of shrine steps in her youth, but that was some time ago and… _Fine, just … FINE!_ Sumire wanted to scream but she knew she would just seem petulant for getting upset over something like this.

“Come on!” Kitamura seemed eager, and even happy, to begin the climb that Sumire was dreading. As he pulled her along, he turned and said, “There is something you need to see at the top.”

“All right, all right…” Sumire grumbled to herself. _I swear… if he is dragging me up her_ _e_ _just to propose to me, I’m throwing him off this godforsaken tower._

.

Sumire was out of breath and felt like her legs would fail her at any moment when they finally made it to the top. She wanted nothing more than to collapse on the deck and rest, but Kitamura helped to keep her standing and directed her attention to the East facing side of the observation deck.

“Great, we made it in time.” Kitamura was also breathing hard but not having nearly the difficulty that Sumire was feeling at the moment.

“In time…” Sumire gasped for air, “time for… for what?”

Kitamura didn’t answer with words. With his gloved hand, he lifted Sumire’s chin so she was looking over the observation deck’s railing at the radiant horizon. Moments later, Sumire felt her heart warm as she watched a beautiful sunrise over the distant mountains. All of the grumbling and exhaustion were washed away in that moment of spectacular beauty. Without any conscious intent, Sumire stepped close to Kitamura and relaxed into the feeling of having his arms around her.

“It’s so…” she was about to say.

“In English.” Kitamura found himself saying this automatically whenever he heard Sumire speaking Japanese.

“It is beautiful.” Sumire steamed a little, “Kitamura, must you even ruin a romantic moment with your constant lecturing?”

“I do it for you.” Kitamura looked at the light from the rising sun spreading to the valley below, “You have a dream and I want to help you make it happen. I will be there for you every step of the way until you finally go to space, and I will be waiting for you to return. If there is anything I can do to help you achieve your dream, I will.”

“I know,” Sumire closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling, “but that is why I did not want you to follow me. I do not want you to give up your dream for someone like me.”

“Someone like you?” Kitamura chuckled a little, “Sumire is Sumire and there is no-one else like you… at least… not for me.”

She was speechless. So easily, Kitamura had changed her self-deprecating statement into a complement. She felt his arms hold her a bit more firmly as he continued.

“Sumire, I followed you despite your wishes, because your logic is flawed and would invoke a paradox that would surely cause me failure and pain.” Kitamura said softly.

“Eh?” Sumire, was proud of her intellect and wanted to know how such simple logic could be flawed. “Explain.”

“All right,” Kitamura reasoned, “You would send me away so that I could pursue my own aspirations, but that is exactly the course of action that would prevent me from ever achieving my dream.”

“How so?” Sumire asked the question but felt a shiver run up her spine as the answer occurred to her a moment before he said it.

“You are my dream.” Kitamura said simply.

Sumire had a hard time breathing. Her eyes were open wide and she could only look at the sunlit treetops of the valley forest below while the warm tears quickly cooled in the mountain air as they ran silently down her cheeks. _NO! I’ve been such an idiot! I almost threw away something so precious… so wonderful._ “I take it back, I take it all back! I don’t want you to go away. I won’t throw you off this platform if you propose to me.”

“Well, that’s good to know.” Kitamura said with some surprise.

“Eh?” Sumire blushed crimson as she realized that she had said that last part out loud. “AH!”

“Don’t worry,” Kitamura said soothingly, “I didn’t bring you out here to ambush you with something like that. When the time comes, it will be in a place where you are comfortable and warm. To do it properly in the right place for you… I can wait.”

“Do not!” Sumire’s hands held his arms that were still wrapped around her. She felt the strength and the warmth of his body as he held her and it was a comfort that she hadn’t dared imagine. She had only dreamed that she would be allowed to have just one thing that her heart so desperately wanted. That she could have her two greatest desires was beyond any expectation.

“What?” Kitamura could feel the tremor in her body and knew that she was either cold, or crying, or both.

“Do not wait.” Sumire clutched at his arms, “Do not wait another minute.”

“This isn’t how I imagined it and,” Kitamura apologized, “regrettably, I don’t have the ring with me…”

“Ring?” Sumire gasped as her eyes opened wide in surprise, “You already have a ring?”

“Of course,” Kitamura wanted to turn her around and look into Sumire’s dark blue eyes but she had a death grip on the sleeves of his jacket just now and that wasn’t possible at the moment. “Are you sure you want me to ask you now, or do you want to wait for me to get the ring?”

“Now!” Sumire responded instantly, “Please… Yusaku.” Sumire could feel the shakiness in her body and saw that her vision was starting to blur. The exhaustion of the climb and this shock were taking their toll on her unprepared body and mind. She knew that she would already have collapsed if he had not been holding her.

“Oh!” Kitamura realized that there was still one thing she could do to rattle his calm. _She called me Yusaku!_ She had only called him by his family name since his disastrous confession on the stage in front of the whole high school. Even though they were in America where it was the norm to call someone by their first name, she had insisted on calling him Kitamura… never Yusaku. Never, until now. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and brought his lips close to her ear. Softly he said, “Sumire Kano, I have been impressed, awed, and inspired by you from the moment I met you. I might have even loved you from that moment but I was still hurting from being rejected by someone else and I was confused. But it wasn’t long after that, it hit me. I knew in my heart… in my soul that you are the one… the only one for me. I loved you so much, I couldn’t be happy if I wasn’t near you. I could see your smiling face every time I closed my eyes. It was a more powerful feeling than I have ever felt and I knew that I would love you forever.”

“Oh my God.” Sumire choked as she cried. She had known for some time that he had feelings for her, but she had not known the depth of his feelings until now. _I was such a fool. Such a damn fool. How can he still love me after I treated him so horribly?_

“Sumire Kano, will you marry me?” Yusaku gently asked the crying girl in his arms.

“Yes!” Sumire let go of his arms, spun around and kissed him. He was holding her and kissing her back, and that was just what she needed. She needed to know that this moment was real and that she wouldn’t wake up from such a happy dream to some horrid lonely reality. Love was something she thought she would have to deny herself, at least until her dream of becoming an astronaut was realized. Now, it was within her grasp and she was grasping for it with both hands. To love, and to be loved was the most wonderful thing in the world. Her grip on his jacket relaxed and her vision narrowed and faded to a comforting darkness, but her heart was full of joy as she finally succumbed to the shock and exhaustion of this early morning outing.

“Sumire?” Kitamura held her limp body in his arms. Her breath was still fogging up his glasses so she was still breathing. He looked into her face and saw the streaks of tears on her cheeks, but also saw the smile on her face. Even though the sun was up now, it was still cold on this observation platform. Taking a last look at her tear streaked cheeks, he pulled her face into the warmth of his chest and held onto her. _She said yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!_ He wanted to shout it out to the whole world, but Sumire had been putting in some long nights and he also wanted her to sleep… in his arms. Kitamura gazed out at the splendor of the scenic view around him. A golden morning with snow capped mountains in the distance and a forest of sun dappled redwoods all around turned out to be the stage for his proposal. An idea struck him and made him grin. In a few moments he had fished his cell phone out of his pocket and took a few selfies of the two of them with the majestic trees in the background. With her face in Kitamura’s chest, not much of Sumire was visible besides her long dark blue hair, but they would know. Kitamura smiled as he sent the picture with the caption, “She said yes.”

.

**Thursday evening, October 15 – Sukasu Onsen**

* * *

“Mom?” Ryuuji was stunned. The lady looking back at them did look like an older version of Ami, but she did not look old enough to be Ami’s mother… older sister maybe but. _Wait, what am I thinking. Why should I be surprised? This is the same reaction that Yasuko always gets, right?_ Feeling Ami’s stunned indecision, he took her hand and gently squeezed it. Ami jumped a bit at the contact, but it served to get her mind working once again.

“Okasan, allow me to introduce… my friends.” Ami held onto Ryuuji’s hand as if it were a lifeline as she introduced everyone in her group. Some, like Haruta and Maya were starstruck at meeting Kawashima Anna in person. Most smiled as if they were being introduced to any other friend’s mother. Through it all, Kawashima Anna maintained the celebrity countenance of the most important person in the room. She wasn’t looking down her nose exactly… it was just the kind of attitude the stars are trained to put on at meet and greet events. Of course, there was a bit of ego since she was an actual film star. The ego started to crack when she was introduced to the last of the people in the group. An American Air Force officer smiled and greeted her as if he dealt with celebrities every day. Next she met the matriarch of the Hisamitsu family.

“Thank you very much,” Kawashima Anna bowed to the regal woman, “for inviting my daughter along on this lovely vacation.”

“It is nothing.” Obasama replied, “She and her fiancé are trusted and reliable friends of the Hisamitsu family. It was my pleasure to invite her along.” The matriarch’s political face was on and she didn’t let it show, but she was wondering why this woman was here. Kawashima Anna was not on her list of invitees, nor was she on the list of additions that Takasu Ryuuji and Kashii Nanako had requested. Movie starlet or not, Obasama would have words with this woman if her intent was anything other than a peaceful and relaxing vacation.

“Okasan,” Ami continued as a smiling Yukiko stepped up to meet Anna, “this is…”

“Yuki-chan!” Anna smiled and took Yukiko’s hands. Ami’s jaw dropped as she watched her friend from Tokyo embrace her mother as if they were old friends. After the embrace, Anna stepped back and looked at the younger woman, “It’s been so long. Good heavens how you’ve grown!”

“It has been a while, but I haven’t grown that much.” Yukiko said, “I’m probably only a few centimeters taller than the last time you saw me.”

“I wasn’t talking about your height, dear.” Anna smirked while staring at Yukiko’s chest.

“Eh?” Yukiko blushed.

“Mom!” Ami blushed deeper – this was her mother after all! This was too much. She wanted to run out of the room. She wanted to confront her mother. She wanted… Ami felt everything slow down as the reassurance of Ryuuji's hand squeezing hers helped her to calm down a bit. After a deep breath, Ami turned to her mother and asked, “How… how do you know… Yuki-chan?”

“Oh well,” now it was Anna’s turn to seem a bit embarrassed, “that’s a long story and…”

“She used to date my uncle.” Yukiko smiled at the rising blush she caused in Anna’s face.

“Yuki-chan!” Anna pleaded, “She’s my daughter. You can’t tell her about… those things.”

“Actually,” Yukiko held a sly grin as she said, “Ami-chan is my _friend_ now, so I can tell her pretty much ev-er-y-thing.”

“Oh!” Anna pouted, “You’re just rotten now! What ever happened to that delightful little girl that I remember?”

“I guess I became less delightful when I was left to console my poor dear uncle after you dumped him for that producer.” Yukiko chided.

“You wicked child! That’s not how it was and you know it.” Anna turned to Ami and explained, “It was a director, not a producer. And her uncle dumped me, I didn’t dump him.”

Some of the people were confused with the conversation. They couldn’t tell if these two were actually fighting or if this was supposed to be funny. To those that could see through it, it was a comedy. Ami was one of the ones that could see this performance for what it was and was about to start laughing. She knew how the punch line would go and she knew why her mother turned to her on the last line. It was her turn now to set up the finale.

“So,” Ami barely held her laughter at bay as she asked her mother, “did he leave you for a younger woman?”

“Of course not!” Anna denied indignantly.

“He left her for a younger man.” Yukiko said.

There was a brief pause. Some gasped. A snort was heard, then the whole room was laughing. The laughing hadn’t completely died down when Ami made the final introduction. As Ami brought him forward, Anna had a moment to have a good look at him. She had heard that Ami was engaged to a young man that she was going to school with. Her fears and curiosity were allayed when her relatives that worked with the talent agency and the legal group all spoke highly of him. Still, there was the mother’s desire to give him the once-over if he was going to marry her daughter. And now, here he was.

“This is my fiancé, Takasu Ryuuji.” Ami blushed as she called him her fiancé.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Kawashima-san.” Ryuuji bowed.

“My goodness,” Anna laughed as she took Ryuuji’s free arm and led him to the table where she was sitting, “such formality. Perhaps we should get to know each other a little better since it sounds like we will soon be family.”

“Um, yes.” Ryuuji gave Ami a nervous glance but followed Anna’s lead and was soon seated next to the star… and future mother-in-law.

.

Ryuuji and Ami wouldn't remember the food from that evening but they would remember losing the feeling of trepidation as they talked with Ami’s mother. Ryuuji was glad to hear that Anna had already made several inquiries about him. He knew that most people probably wouldn’t understand that, but his was a face that did not lend itself well to good first impressions. It was better for him when people knew of him first, than if they were initially frightened by him and then had to get over their preconceptions.

After dinner, Anna accepted an invitation to join Yukiko and several of the girls in the group for a soak in the Women’s bath. When she arrived in the changing room, she thought for a moment it was the changing room for some movie featuring lots of sexy young girls. Deena Walker, Minami Suzume, and Kurosawa Hisako stood out because they were so tall, but all the girls in the room were very pretty. Many of them bordered on idol quality. She tried to remember names with faces and was able to identify the athletic pink haired girl as Minori. The very young looking girl was Aiko-chan. The girl next to Hisako with the long purple hair was Nanako. The buxom blond was Ryuuji’s older sister, so the last two girls were Umeko and Umeki, but she couldn't remember which was which.

Some of the girls were embarrassed to get undressed in front of others while the rest didn’t seem to be bothered by it. And then there was Yasuko – or as everyone seemed to call her, Onee-chan. When her Yukata came off, she became positively radiant. Her huge breasts defied gravity and her whole body exuded the glory of youth. Kawashima Anna couldn't help but be a bit jealous, but then… at her age it was expected…

“Can you believe that she is Ryuuji’s mother?” Yukiko asked Anna quietly.

“What?” Anna did a double-take. _Mother? Not older sister? But I thought…_ She was now scrutinizing the dancing nude body for signs of sag and stretch… any of the telltale signs of motherhood and age. She looked… and couldn't find them. “It’s not possible!”

“Oh, but I assure you it is.” Yukiko smiled, “I’ve never seen anyone exercise like her. She took over the physical training of your daughter to get her ready for the summer shoot at the Tokyo studios. While they were in my hotel, she focused on Koigakubo Yuri and in ten days got absolutely amazing results.”

“Really?” Anna looked at her future sister in law in a new light. They were showering off now, before getting into the hot spring bath. It was easy to see that Yasuko was beautiful, driven, and obviously healthy. Anna was intrigued to find out that she was also the kind of person that could influence, or at least encourage others as well.

“Well, I may have helped a little.” Yukiko preened, “I had the exercise machines uncrated and set up where they could use them.”

“… absolutely amazing results…” Anna was going over what Yukiko had just told her, “So, what you’re saying is: if I let my daughter marry this Ryuuji, I get Yasuko-san in the bargain?”

“That’s one way of looking at it.” Yukiko laughed as they stepped into the hot spring water.

“You’re all certainly working hard to sell Ryuuji.” Anna gave her friend a quizzical look.

“Is it working?” Yukiko asked.

“I think it is.” Anna thought about it, “His face makes you think ‘homicidal maniac’ but all of you believe in him so much. Part of me thinks that he’s too good to be true.” She knew that Ryuuji was smart and a good student. His grades were at the top of his school and he had already secured a scholarship for his college education. Her lips quirked into a smile when she thought about the potential this would have for her grandchildren. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the hot water soaking into her. Taking a deep breath, she let the stress of the day float away and found herself thinking about those potential grandchildren.

“What are you thinking?” Yukiko asked. She could see a contented look on Anna’s face that she had not seen in a long long time.

“Grandchildren.” Anna answered with a dreamy smile.

“Ooooh, I like the sound of that.” Yasuko said.

“Eh?” Anna opened her eyes to discover that she was flanked with Yukiko on one side and Yasuko on the other.

“How many?” Yasuko asked.

“Hmmm,” Anna gave it some thought, “at least two. A boy and a girl.”

“Of course the girl will be named after her favorite Aunt Yukiko.” Yukiko said, matter-of-factly.

“Hmpf,” Anna said, “they’ll need to have more than one girl then.”

“Hey!” Yukiko pouted.

“When do you think we’ll get to see them?” Yasuko already couldn't wait to hold one of their beautiful babies in her arms.

“Probably not for ten years.” Anna sighed.

“What?” Yasuko felt as if she had been stabbed through the heart by that answer.

“Ami is a model. She is trying out singing and she wants to be an actor.” Anna explained, “She probably won’t have time for children until she’s in her thirties.”

“No!” Yasuko wailed, “That can’t be right. I don’t think either of them will be happy if they have to wait that long to have a family and… I know I won’t.” Yasuko started to sulk.

“Onee-chan,” Yukiko offered, “it’s not always like that. If they are very successful and can hire a maid or nanny… they wouldn’t have to wait as long.”

“How long?” Yasuko pouted, but looked up at Anna and Yukiko with hopeful eyes.

“How soon would you like them to start on our grandchildren?” Anna chuckled.

“Right now!” Yasuko demanded.

.

“Ah-choo!” Ryuuji and Ami sneezed just as they were about to get into their private terrace bath. They looked at each other in surprise that they had both sneezed at the same time.

“Are you okay?” Ryuuji asked Ami.

“Yeah,” Ami wrinkled her nose a bit but didn’t feel another sneeze coming on, “it is a little cold out here so let’s hurry and get in the hot water.”

“Good idea,” Ryuuji agreed. In the starlit darkness, he shed his towel and stepped into the stone lined bath. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the warmth of the water as he quickly sank down to his neck. A moment later, he felt the water ripple as Ami slid into the hot water too.

Ami moaned as she dropped into the water up to her neck as well. She stretched out her feet toward where she knew Ryuuji was. The private terrace baths weren’t excessively large and she found him almost instantly. She rubbed her toes playfully across the soles of his large feet.

“Hey!” Ryuuji jerked his feet back and was thinking about tickling her back when he felt the water ripple and knew that she was in motion. Even in this darkness he could see well enough to know that she was coming towards him backwards. Opening his arms, he let her slide into his embrace before closing his arms around her. He closed his eyes and kissed the back of her head as she lay against him. Ryuuji wondered what she was up to, when he felt her hands along his hips and she seemed to exhale a disappointed sigh.

“You’re wearing a swim suit?” Ami grouched.

“So are you.” Ryuuji could feel the fabric around her waist and chest as she lay in his arms. From the feel of the strange fabric, it wasn’t one he was familiar with. “This isn’t one of the bikini’s that you bought in Tokyo, is it?”

“No, it’s something that Nanako made for me.” Ami told him, “She made one for a couple of the others too. But that’s not the problem.”

“What’s the problem?” Ryuuji could tell that Ami was still disappointed about something but he was still intrigued with this swim suit. The fabric felt strange as he caressed it. At first it felt kind of fuzzy, but now it felt slick like it had adhered to Ami’s body. Ryuuji couldn’t help but wonder what it looked like.

“We’ve been sleeping in the same bed for two months now, but always in pajamas.” Ami vented, “We come to a hot springs together… and we’re wearing swimsuits. I just wonder when we’re going to… you know… get past this.”

“Sixteen days.” Ryuuji replied with certainty.

“Huh?” Ami was shocked. She was making a fairly general complaint and wasn’t expecting an answer. She surely wasn’t expecting such a precise answer. “What happens in sixteen days?”

“Did you forget already?” Ryuuji chuckled, “A lot of things happen in sixteen days. There’s the cultural festival, it’s Halloween, and you and I put rings on each other’s fingers.”

“Oh!” Ami gasped and rolled over in the water so she was facing Ryuuji, “Really?”

“Yup,” Ryuuji kissed her nose then asked, “unless you’ve changed your mind?”

“Not even a little bit.” Ami said with conviction as she wrapped her arms around his neck and went in for a real kiss.

Ryuuji could feel her breasts pushing against his chest as they kissed and it didn’t feel like there was a swim suit top in the way any more. He caressed his hands across her back and could feel nothing but soft skin. One of his big hands hand trailed down her back until he was holding a bare cheek.

“What’s wrong?” Ami broke off the kiss when she felt Ryuuji become rigid as if he was disturbed by something.

“Um… that swimsuit that Nanako made you, did she say if there was anything special about it?” Ryuuji asked.

“Not really special. She said it was ‘syllable’ or something.” Ami remembered Nanako’s sweet smile as she presented the special gift. “Why?”

“Syllable?” Ryuuji groaned before asking Ami, “Do you think maybe ‘soluble’ was the word she used?”

“Could be,” Ami was a little irked that he was so interested in the swim suit Nanako had made for her when they were finally alone together. Since he made her think about the swim suit, she recalled that it was a nice one. Sure, it felt a little weird just after getting into the water, but now she couldn’t feel it at all. “why do you ask?”

“Soluble means it dissolves in water.” Ryuuji explained and prepared himself for the inevitable slap, “Ami, right now you aren’t wearing anything.”

“Ah!” Ami gasped but realized it was true. She could feel his chest with her own and one of his hands was holding her in a place it had never touched before. She knew how she was supposed to react, but the truth was that she liked the feel of his chest and hands on her. She was trying to figure out her conflicted feelings when something else unexpected happened.

“KASHII NANAKO!” Koigakubo Yuri’s voice cried out into the night, from one of the other terraces.

“Oh yeah,” Ami giggled, “Nanako made one for sensei too.”

.

**Friday morning, October 16 – Sukasu Onsen**

* * *

Most of the group was dressed and ready to go. They were enjoying their breakfast in the common dining room as they waited for the rest of their party to show up. No-one felt rushed; there was still plenty of time before the bus was supposed to leave.

Nanako was seated next to Hisako and enjoying her omelet when she felt someone sit down heavily next to her.

“Ah-hem!” The new arrival cleared her throat to get Nanako’s attention.

Glancing over, Nanako saw her usually gentle teacher glaring at her menacingly. Nanako leaned away from the apparently angry woman and into Hisako.

“Ah-hem!” Hisako cleared her throat to get Yuri’s attention.

Yuri looked up at the tall and powerfully built Hisako glaring back at her in a protective challenge. There wasn’t nearly as much menace in Hisako’s expression but the message was clear. _If you hurt Nanako, I will break you into small pieces._ Now Yuri shrank back into the Major. She waited, but didn’t hear him clear his throat in a return challenge. “Hey,” she elbowed him lightly in the ribs, “pay attention over here.”

“Oh no,” the Major replied, “don’t get me involved in that.”

“Why not?” Yuri felt cheated that her boyfriend wasn’t protecting her.

“Sorry sweetheart, but I’m on Nanako-chan’s side on this one.” the Major told her, “That swimsuit was positively brilliant.”

“What?” Yuri gaped indignantly.

“Think about it,” the Major tried to explain, “she was responsible for my dearest love, my stunningly beautiful bride to be, my lovely fiancé… suddenly becoming naked in my arms. I am a man, after all. If I were to talk to Nanako about this, it would only be to offer my heartfelt thanks and discuss what sort of reward would be appropriate.”

“Major!” Yuri cried out in disbelief.

“Guys,” the Major appealed to the others in the room, “help me out here.”

“Heck yeah!” Haruta pumped his fist.

“Who wouldn’t want that?” Noto added.

“I’ve only carried sensei around in my arms and massaged her a few times,” Ryuuji said as if he were contemplating the idea, “the thought of her _suddenly becoming naked_ is very intriguing.”

“Ryuuji!” Yuri screeched before turning and hiding her blushing face in the Major’s chest.

The rest of the room was laughing hysterically. Several new arrivals to the dining room wondered what they had missed.

.

**Friday morning, October 16 – Mount Hakkoda**

* * *

Everyone was chatting about the message they got from Kitamura as they waited in the lower station of the Hakkoda Ropeway for the gondola to arrive. The bus ride to get there had been scenic, but nothing like what the ropeway promised. The large gondola with it’s big observation windows would be soaring over the changing colors of the trees all the way to the top of the mountain. In some places it would only be a few meters away from the nearest trees but in other places, it would be as high as the circling birds. Yasuko and the younger girls had never been on one of these before and were a little nervous, but the thought of the spectacular sights they would be able to see through those large windows kept the fear at bay.

Aiko-chan was holding her Onee-chan’s hand and could tell the adult was as excited as a child now. She looked out the station windows at the surrounding trees that were already starting to change color. Some were still green, but there were Japanese Maples and other trees whose leaves were already dusky browns, brilliant reds, bright yellows, and everything in between. Sure, the colorful leaves were pretty, but she didn’t see why it should be so exciting… they were just leaves after all.

“Hey, I know,” Haruta said to his friends as he stood next to his fiancé, “when we get to the top, I’m gonna take a selfie with the two of us and send it to Kitamura.”

“That’s a good idea, Haruta-kun,” Maya chirped as she took her Noto’s arm, “we should do that too!”

“You too, Takasu-kun.” Yuri suggested, “he should get a picture from you as well.”

“Yeah,” Ryuuji took Ami’s hand as he asked her, “as long as you’re okay with it?”

“Of course,” Ami brightened, “he’s my friend too, you know.” She thought about teasing him that Kitamura was, after all, her childhood friend and sending him this picture might trigger some kind of weird romance-anime-character reflex. She kept it to herself though and laughed inside at the thought of Kitamura challenging Ryuuji for her hand.

“All the couples should do that.” Yasuko laughed and turned on her friend Yuri, “You and the Major too.”

“Eh?” Yuri hadn’t thought that she might get caught up in this. She was about to try and decline when Aiko-chan said something that made everyone pause.

“Hisako-senpai,” Aiko-chan asked brightly, “will you take your picture with Nanako-chan?”

All eyes turned to Hisako and Nanako. They had been holding hands and Hisako was ready to quietly let go of Nanako’s hand now that the spotlight of attention was on the two of them. Nanako was, after all, amongst her own friends and even her teacher. Hisako felt that she had no right to make Nanako feel insecure or embarrassed around her own friends. However, just as she started to relax her grip, she felt Nanako’s hand tighten on her own.

“Of course we will!” Nanako answered the young girl cheerfully, “Is there someone you would like to have your picture taken with?”

“Deena-chan, Deena-chan!” the excited grade schooler was chanting. Her loud squeals were but a background noise to the tall raven haired model though.

Hisako stood stunned again at little Nanako’s bravado. After Nanako’s confession in front of her whole class, Hisako should have expected it, and yet – it never ceased to amaze her. Hisako looked down at the head of silky purple hair and admitted to herself that Nanako was a constant source of strength and amazement to her… and she liked it that way. Hisako had once read how people that survive near death experiences will mentally recover in different ways. Some will live out the rest of their lives in fear of the _next_ time. Some go on with their lives as if nothing had ever happened. Yet others would decide that they had been given a second chance on life and they weren’t going to waste it. They weren’t stupidly fearless, but they generally decided that societal norms and inhibitions would not stop them from enjoying life any more. Hisako believed Nanako was in this last category. She could now openly and candidly say things and discuss topics that would make an ordinary Japanese high school girl blush all the way to the tips of her ears. _High school girl heck!_ Hisako admitted to herself. _I’m old enough to drink and I can’t stop blushing… sometimes._ _Oh my precious sweet Nanako, if I had but half of your courage, I would never be afraid again._

“Here it comes! Here it comes!” Aiko-chan was excitedly pointing at the big glass enclosed gondola as it cleared the tower above the nearest hilltop and gradually descended towards them. Yasuko was cheering along with Aiko-chan and seemed every bit as excited. Eyes followed the little girl’s pointing and cheering. They could all feel the excitement too. Even the ones that had been on a ropeway or a ski-lift before could feel the excitement brimming over from Aiko-chan and Onee-chan.

The excitement didn’t diminish as the big blue and white gondola settled into place and the doors on the other side opened to let the arriving passengers leave. Next, some workers came in and cleaned the gondola and the windows before they finally opened the doors to let the departing passengers in. All the while, Aiko-chan and Onee-chan were at the front of the line and bouncing on their toes with excitement. As soon as the doors opened, the two rushed into the gondola and took their places beside each other at the big window that would be facing the mountain when they started making their ascent.

The large compartment easily accommodated everyone in the Hisamitsu party and the few other riders that were taking in the fall foliage this morning. Everyone had a nice window view as the gondola glided away from the dock and slowly began it’s ascent to the first tower. The feeling inside the carriage was one of anticipation. This first rise was nothing they couldn’t see from the station they had just left, but soon…

“Oh I do hope the valley isn’t covered in fog,” one of the older tourists said, “this time of year is very tricky here. The sky is clear and it doesn’t look like we’ll have problems with rain or snow today. But sometimes you can’t see the trees of the valley because of all the fog.”

“Oh…” Aiko-chan sounded disappointed, “I hope there isn’t any fog.”

“I’m okay if it’s all foggy.” Yasuko smiled, “I’ve only ever seen fog in the streets of the city. Imagine seeing a whole valley of silky gray and fluffy white fog flowing and blowing around!”

“Wow, that could be pretty too!” No longer disappointed, Aiko-chan was quickly back to her place at the big window just as the gondola made it to the first tower.

Eyes opened wide at the site before them. A wide valley with the far side reaching farther up the mountain opened up to them like a symphony of fall colors. Countless Japanese Maples were in their peak autumn colors and many other trees competed to present a festival for the eyes. A sea of brilliant orange was splattered with vivid yellows and riven with vibrant reds. Amongst the sea of changing foliage, the stalwart evergreens clung to their summery green color.

The morning sun was rising to the right of the peak they were approaching, so the mountainside to the left was still in shadow. There was still a wispy trail of fog in the shadow of the mountain’s base that hadn’t yet been burned off by the brilliance of the rising sun. Aiko-chan and Yasuko held each other’s hands in excitement as they watched the last of the morning fog cling to the low places and lap at the side of the tall mountain.

“It’s so beautiful.” Aiko-chan said. She was enraptured with the splendor of nature’s beauty all around her.

“If you look back to the left, you can now see all the way to the city of Aomori, and the sea.” one of the experienced tourists called out.

“Wow!” Aiko-chan wasn’t familiar with Aomori, but seeing a whole city look so small and the contrast of the concrete colored, man made structures of the city against the deep blue of the sea coast that the city wrapped around… even to a nine year old, it was awe inspiring. A sudden jolt of the gondola brought their attention back to the front just as they were arriving at the mountaintop station.

.

Inside the station, a small shop sold hot drinks and noodle dishes. It was quite a bit cooler on top of the mountain and everyone was enjoying something hot in their hands as they walked around the observation deck, breathed deep the crisp clean air, and took in the magnificent sights. Even though many of them were in pairs, they still moved as a group. Ami, Ryuuji, Noto, and Maya were looking at a sign that showed a map of the mountain and the various trails and scenic walks.

“There are trails that goes back to the Onsen.” Ami pointed out. The sign indicated that the shortest walk would take them past several ponds and a marsh area that were all supposed to be scenic in the fall. Other, longer walks would take them to the caldera peaks and high mountain glades.

“Looks like fun.” Ryuuji said.

“I want to go too!” Maya chirped. When they had first announced this trip up the mountain, she had wanted to beg off, but the vistas had affected her more than she had thought possible. As excited as she was, her enthusiasm waned when she thought of Noto walking all that distance in his condition. Trying not to sound disappointed, she said, “But… maybe some other time.”

“I think I can make that.” Noto knew exactly why Maya had suddenly changed her mind. He was already evaluating the short route and felt like this was something he could handle. “It’s almost all downhill and there are several rest stops along the way. If we take it slowly, I should be fine.”

“Really?” Maya sounded hopeful.

“I don’t like it.” Obasama’s voice came from behind them. “Your injuries were not as bad as Shinako’s but the doctor told you to take it easy nevertheless.”

Noto wanted to argue that he felt up to it, but he knew that his grandmother was only thinking of his health. She had been with him ever since the injury and she had made sure that he had the best medical care and recovery therapy. He knew how concerned she was for him and decided not to fight this. He squeezed Maya’s hand and was about to tell her that he would take the lift back down with his grandmother and Shinako, but she should take the walk with her friends. He knew she wouldn’t like that solution but…

“I suppose, if you take Kurosawa-san with you, and promise to take it slow… you should be okay.” Obasama offered.

“Kurosawa… Hisako?” Maya asked.

“Me?” Hisako was just as surprised as Maya.

“Of course,” Obasama said, “that girl is good luck.”

“Eh?” Hisako gaped. She personally thought that she never had any good luck. In fact, she had always thought of herself as the opposite of good luck. To hear this suddenly…

“Do you think it was coincidence that the two of you arrived just in time to save the lives of my grandchildren?” Obasama asked Maya.

“She was there when we just happened to be in the right place to rescue Nanako too.” Ryuuji pointed out.

“Hey, stop it.” Hisako felt strange hearing this, “I’m really not that lucky.”

“We’ve had a run of good luck with the whole singing thing.” Suzume said.

“If it wasn’t for Hisako-senpai and Maya-chan, I wouldn't have met the rest of you!” Aiko-chan added.

“I was also there when Yuri broke her leg and when Nanako came down with the flu.” Hisako reminded them.

“But if I hadn’t broken my leg, I wouldn’t have met the Major.” Yuri countered as she felt a strong arm around her waist pull her in tight.

“And if I hadn’t had the flu, I wouldn't have needed so much recovery time with you taking care of me.” Nanako smiled at her flustered girlfriend.

“I am not sure whether your friends are joking with you or not, but I am quite serious young lady.” Obasama said to Hisako, “I believe in luck more than I believe in chance and I think my grandson is in better shape when both you and Maya-chan are nearby. It is my opinion that having you around is a good thing.”

“Th… thank you very much, Obasama.” Hisako said as she gave a polite bow.

“So, will you see Noto-kun safely down the mountain?” Obasama asked Hisako directly.

“Yes!” Hisako answered the Hisamitsu matriarch.

“Very well then.” Obasama turned to her other grandchild present, “How are you feeling, Shinako?”

“I don’t think I ready for that walk.” Shinako smiled, “But I would like to try a bowl of the hot noodles and breathe this crisp clean air for a bit before we head back.”

“A splendid idea,” Obasama said as she took Shinako’s arm and headed back towards the station, “perhaps some tea as well.”

“All right everyone,” Haruta called out, “whatever way you head down, remember to take your pictures for Kitamura before you leave the mountaintop!”

.

To: Kitamura. A picture of Ryuuji with Ami in front of a backdrop of the fall colors of the valley. Caption: Your friends wish you the best!

To: Kitamura. A picture of Hisako and Nanako with the distant city of Aomori and the sea on the horizon behind them. Caption: Congratulations Kitamura.

To: Kitamura. A picture of Yuri-sensei with the Major in front of a caldera and a vast blue sky. Caption: Good luck in your studies, your marriage, and your life.

To: Kitamura. A picture of Haruta and his fiancé with one of the approaching gondolas in front of a vast valley of orange. Caption: Dude! Everyone’s in love, it’s crazy cool!

To: Kitamura. A picture of Noto and Maya in front of the sun drenched south face of the mountainside. Caption: May our futures be as bright as this.

.

Since they knew it was going to take them a while to get back to the Onsen, Noto’s group headed back early while everyone else tried some of the high trails and looked around the mountaintop a bit more. Noto was a little surprised to see that his early group was larger than he had expected.

The Major and Yuri-sensei were coming back with them since he was worried about putting too much stress on Yuri’s recovering leg. Even though this would still be a long walk, taking it slow and stopping often for breaks sounded reasonable to him. Yuri wasn’t arguing; the scenery was nice, but she was already looking forward to getting back into one of the hot spring baths that the Onsen offered.

Haruta’s fiancé discovered that she hadn’t dressed warmly enough. Stomping around these cold mountain peaks was not looking like a lot of fun to her. Haruta didn’t mind, he would rather be heading down the mountain with his old friend Noto anyway.

.

The top of Mount Hakkoda was really a collection of several close peaks and calderas, rather than a single lonely mountain. There were several short nature walks that would take the explorer to some interesting geological formations or places with incredible views. Deena, Umeko, and Minori took the younger girls on the high mountain glade path. The picture on the sign showed butterflies and bright flowers, but those were summer shots. They decided to see what it would look like in the autumn as they headed out. Yasuko and Yukiko took one of the longer paths to a neighboring peak. As Ryuuji watched them head out at a quick jog, he wondered how long Yukiko would be able to match his mothers pace. That left Ami, Ryuuji and Anna to take the Vista path.

“Oh gods, I wish I had your mother’s energy!” Anna said as they watched Yukiko and Yasuko running off toward the distant peak.

“Are you okay?” Ryuuji asked with some concern.

“She’s fine,” Ami snickered, “Unlike Onee-chan, my mother’s youthful looks come more from science than nature.”

“Huh?” Ryuuji was confused.

“Doctors,” Anna chuckled at Ryuuji’s surprise, “I didn’t have Ami until I had a break in my career, so I’m probably a few years older than your mother.”

“More like a few decades.” Ami chipped in.

“Ami, that’s mean.” Anna sounded hurt.

“Oh no, I’m quite serious.” Ami turned to her mother and told her, “Yasuko was in her mid-teens when Ryuuji was born.”

“Oh my!” Anna gasped, then seemed to think about the possibilities. “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t waited so long. She will still be young and healthy enough to play with her grandchildren while I’ll be far too… decrepit.”

“Oh mother!” Ami grouched.

“So tell me, Ryuuji…” Anna changed the subject, “why do you want to marry my daughter?”

“Oh, so now you’re going to pick on Ryuuji and give him the old _what makes you think you’re good enough_ routine?” Ami asked her mother.

“Not at all.” Anna replied, “From everyone I’ve heard from, Ryuuji is a wonderful person.”

“Then… ?” Ami was confused.

“I know, better than most, that my daughter can be a real handful.” Anna said to Ryuuji, “So, I have to ask why you would want to marry her?”

“Okasan!” Ami yelled while Ryuuji started laughing. “Ryuuji!” she yelled at her laughing boyfriend.

“Let me explain,” Ryuuji took Ami’s hands and pulled her close. Upset that he was laughing at her mother’s comment, she reluctantly moved over to him. “When I first met Ami, I didn’t like her and she didn’t like me. That was back when she was using that irritating facade. Besides her airhead act, I saw her mean side and frankly, I was disgusted. I didn’t want to have anything to do with her and I wouldn't have if it hadn’t been for a mutual friend.” Ami struggled in Ryuuji’s arms. She didn’t want to be held by him when he was saying things like that about her… whether they were true or not.

“Kitamura?” Anna asked.

“Yes,” Ryuuji continued, “That was over a year ago and in that time, Ami has changed into something… incredible.”

Ami stopped struggling and started to blush as she listened more intently to what Ryuuji was telling her mother.

“I’ve noticed that she isn’t using the facade any more.” Anna commented.

“Not for a while now.” Ryuuji said, “But it’s not just that. She saved me when I was ready to give up. She was there for me when I was so low that it was hard for anyone to even look at me. She has become someone I can trust, someone I can believe in. She is the someone that I love.”

“Ami, I…” Anna was stunned with what she had just heard. True, she had asked a lot of questions about this boy that wanted to marry her daughter, but she hadn’t asked that much about her daughter. If what Ryuuji was saying was true, Ami had thrown away years of accumulated bad habits in a very short period of time. She hoped this emotional growth was real and she wasn’t just going through another phase or worse, another act to get something. She asked her blushing daughter, “I’m impressed. What made you… change?”

“Ryuuji.” Ami didn’t want to turn and face her mother now. She always hated letting her mother see her cry.

“Huh?” Ryuuji thought she was calling to him.

“Baka!” Ami’s small fist lightly punched his big chest, “Ryuuji is the reason I changed. He saw through me when no-one else did. He didn’t bow and scrape. He didn’t buy the act or the excuses, so he… he made me take responsibility for who I was and what I was doing.” Ami grabbed hold of Ryuuji’s jacket with both hands and, leaning into him, put her forehead to his broad chest. “He was never mean about it. He was always patient. He cared even when… even when he scolded me.”

Anna watched the shaking shoulders of her daughter as she held on tight to the boy she loved. It was hard to tell if it was real without looking at Ami’s face. When Anna looked up to Ryuuji’s face, she saw a look of genuine shock that could only be accomplished by the best actors… if it was fake. This didn’t look fake. If she was being played, she was pretty certain now that Takasu Ryuuji wasn’t in on it. That left only her daughter. Ami had gotten her way far too many times with her little acts and tantrums. But the last time that happened was… more than two years ago? To Anna’s recollection, Ami had only asked for a few things since then and none of them had been unreasonable.

The previous summer, she had asked for the family beach house but she didn’t request it for long and she had left it in superb condition. This summer she had asked that her boyfriend be allowed to function as her manager while she was in Tokyo. According to the agency, that had worked out fabulously. In fact, it had worked out so well, that the agency had been the one to insist that Ryuuji continue to function as the manager for the Okinawa trip.

The realization hit Kawashima Anna as she watched her daughter burying her embarrassment in Ryuuji’s chest. _This is real! She’s been nothing but responsible for the last year. These two have done amazing things together. This is real! My daughter has fallen… in love._

“Anna-san?” Ryuuji saw unexpected tears in the eyes of Ami’s mother. Unlike Ami’s attempt to hide her raw emotions, Anna didn’t seem to care.

“Oh Ami-chan,” Anna reached out a hand and caressed her daughter’s head, “I’m so happy for you!”

Ami’s wet eyes popped open as soon when she felt the hand on her head. Her mother had not been that affectionate with her for a long time. She had always blamed her mother for being distant but she had always know that a lot of it was her own fault. For years, Ami had behaved badly to get her mother’s attention. Of course, that had backfired and her mother had grown cold toward her. But now… Ami spun around to see a look on her mother’s face that she had rarely seen before. She was crying and yet, so very very happy.

“Okasan!” Ami cried out and hugged her mother tight for the first time in many years.

.

There were no exceptional colors or butterflies in the high mountain glade at this time of year, but it wasn’t as windy and the air smelled crisp and clean. It smelled like a new beginning… like a fresh start. Across the glade, Deena, Suzume, Umeki, and Aiko-chan were running through the tall brown grasses towards the other side of the glade – to see what it might look like over there.

“Wow,” Umeko was looking around the glade with her hands behind her back, “I really wish we had a ball and a couple of gloves right now.”

“Yeah, that would be great!” Minori agreed. She would love to throw the ball around with this girl that was almost a legend of the game.

“I’m in trains all the time now though. I really miss those days. The fresh air here makes me really miss…” Umeko let the sentence trail off without finishing the thought.

“Hey, um… Umeko-san.” Minori bit her lip, “I’d really like… if you want to… sometime we could do some catch or go to some batting cages?”

“Really!” Umeko’s eyes lit up at the offer, “Yes! I’d love to do that. And please, call me Umeko.”

“Heh,” Minori half smiled, “now I really wish I brought my glove too.” Both of the girls laughed. The other four girls were out of sight now but Deena was with them and they weren’t terribly concerned. “Um, could I ask you a favor?”

“Sure,” Umeko instinctively gave her best Green Car customer service smile.

“That Kitamura guy that everyone is taking pictures for… he is a friend of mine too.” Minori said.

“Old boyfriend?” Umeko asked.

“Nothing like that.” Minori laughed, “He was the manager of the boys baseball team when I was the manager of the girls softball team. We were good friends but… nothing like that. But I want to send a picture to him too.”

“Oh, no problem.” Umeko offered, “You want me to take a picture of you here?”

“Well,” Minori bit her lip again, “I was kind of hoping…”

.

To: Kitamura. A picture of Minori with Umeko standing in a high mountain glade with mountain peaks and blue sky as their backdrop. Caption: I made a new friend. This feels like a fresh start.


	31. The Koyo Trip

**Friday evening, October 16 – Mount Hakkoda**

* * *

Noto’s group took the descent back to the onsen at a very leisurely pace. They walked slowly and took advantage of every rest area. Nobody seemed to mind though. Once they were off the top of the mountain, the wind died down quite a bit and the South side of the mountain was slowly heating up since it faced the warmth of the October sun. Even those that felt they were too cold on the mountaintop soon felt warmer as they walked the trails.

One thing they all agreed on was that the route back was a lot longer than that silly map made it look. Of course, the trails had been laid out as a nature walk instead of the most efficient path, so that was not really a surprise. Aside from the trek down the side of the mountain, the trail took them through a marshy area where the walkway was on elevated wooden planks. The ground didn't look like it would be too marshy now, but during the spring when the snows were melting or after a rain, they could imagine the area as a great muddy impasse. Forests of short mountain trees surrounded the sunlit wetland and there were a few small copses of trees here and there, but the wide wetland was open to the blue sky for the most part. Tall grasses waved in the gentle afternoon wind and sometimes disturbed the birds resting on the ground or in the occasional tree.

“I've never seen so many birds!” Maya was watching the sky so much, she would have walked off the side of the wooden walkway if Noto hadn't been behind her to help guide her steps.

“They're running away from the coming winter.” Yuri told her.

“Oh, so these are migratory birds?” Maya remembered something about this in one of the science classes.

“That's right,” Yuri felt a moment of pride that one of her students remembered one of her lectures, “with winter coming on, these birds are heading south for warmer places.”

None of this was new to Noto. Every year he would go on summer and winter trips with his family and experience things like this. Amusement parks, boating, diving, skiing, beaches, mountains, rivers, lakes, and fields had filled the vacation days of Noto's youth. The elder members of the family would meet to discuss important things while the younger mothers, aunts, and the occasional uncle would take the children on all kinds of outings. All these things that seemed familiar to him were new to Maya. It wasn't that she had been sheltered all her life, she had just never had the opportunity to get out of the town she grew up in – and see these things. He didn't pity her though. In fact, he was a bit jealous. There was a sense of loss when he saw how she looked at everything as if it was new and strange and so full of wonder. He would see the same things as familiar and ordinary, but there was something stirring within his soul. Maya’s wonderment was infectious. He found it nostalgic and welcomed the almost forgotten feelings of fascination and exhilaration. It was wonderful to see her enjoying the things that had amazed him as a child. It was exciting to be with her as she made her own connections to nature and all the beauty of the natural world. The smile on her face as she took in all this natural wonder was transformative. She seemed younger and… softer – she had become a vision of pure loveliness to Noto's eyes.

“Noto?” Maya had been watching some birds circling the field when she saw the expression on her Noto's face. He looked as if he had just seen an amazing sunset or a unicorn… but he was looking only at Maya. He didn't answer at first, but only reached out to caress her face.

“Every time I think I start to know you,” Noto smiled and looked like he was lost in thought as he said, “you show me another side of yourself and become even more beautiful.”

“Eh?” Maya’s eyes popped open and she blushed hard at his sudden praise. Part of her wanted to bat his hand away from her face and yell at him for saying something so embarrassing… but not a big part. _More beautiful… me? He said I am more beautiful? Oh my dear sweet Noto-kun, how did I ever deserve your love?_ “Oh Noto,” Maya stepped closer to him and hugged him as she said, “you have to stop saying things like that. It gets me all confused and… and…”

“Noto-kun, don't you dare listen to her right now.” Hisako said, “It's obvious that you got her all flustered and her brain stopped working.”

“Hey!” Maya suddenly remembered that there were other people there besides just herself and Noto.

“Hisako is right, Noto-kun.” Nanako supported her girlfriend's comment, “You keep telling Maya what's on your mind. It's okay if she gets flustered from time to time.”

“Nanakooooooo!” Maya hid her face in Noto's jacket. She wasn't really upset with Nanako. The truth was, she did like to hear Noto say such wonderful things. It made her heart flutter and she felt light enough to walk on air. The magic of their romantic moment worked on the other three couples and there was a quiet calm for the next several minutes as each of them enjoyed the warmth of the one they loved in gentle caring hugs.

After they had rested for a bit and got their fill of watching the birds in the big grassy field, it was time to press on. A few more minutes of walking brought them to the end of the grassland. A rustic pedestrian bridge took them over a small mountain stream into a dense forest of different kinds of trees. None of the tree's were especially tall, but they were big enough to entirely obscure the sky and block the winds that had been lapping them in the open grassland. After the bright sunlight of the mountainside and glade, the path through the forest seemed dark, but not foreboding. Many leaves had fallen to the floor of the forest and the path there was completely covered under a carpet of reds, yellows and browns. Fortunately, the path was also marked on placards that hung from the trees and stone signposts that rose from the ground like helpful forest animals pointing the way home.

By the time they emerged from the forest, they had all seen plenty of fall foliage, taken a lot of pictures and enjoyed each others company during the walk. But it was getting on in the afternoon and there were other factors and desires in play now. Tired, hungry, wanting to get cleaned up and soak in the wonderful baths at the onsen… to name a few.

.

**Saturday morning, October 17 – Sukasu Onsen**

* * *

A big, comfortable tour bus waited for them in the parking lot as they finished up breakfast and got dressed. It was obvious that this bus wasn’t just going to take them around the corner to the ropeway like the one yesterday did. Noto noticed the look of satisfaction on the faces of his elder cousin, Shinako and his grandmother as they watched the peaked curiosity of all his friends. Noto had to admit that his curiosity was peaked too. He knew that just about every shopping or amusement place in Japan had been closed down by now and wondered where they would be going that would still be open. Knowing better than to try and wheedle the answer out of either of them, he decided to try a different tactic.

“Obasama.” Noto asked respectfully, “please tell me if I should have everyone prepare an overnight bag.”

“Oh no,” the elder woman chuckled, “we will certainly be back in time for a late dinner and another chance to soak these old bones.”

.

It seemed at first as if they might be going back to the ropeway since they were taking the same route as before. But this time, they continued driving past the turnoff that they had taken for the previous day’s mountain adventure and kept going. No-one was disappointed though; the bus was comfortable and the view from the vehicles big windows was stunning. As the bus wound through the twisting mountain road, the best view seemed to constantly switch between the left side and the right side of the luxurious bus.

“Deena-chan Deena-chan, look look… a river is next to us!” The happy squeals of little Aiko-chan sometimes filled the bus. Even the few people on the bus that were trying to sleep found themselves smiling when they heard Aiko-chan's ebullient cheers. Ryuuji leaned across Ami to look out the window and down into the rapidly moving water of the stream below. Even in the fall, there was enough water to make it pretty, but he could tell by how wide the banks of the riverbed was, that in the spring and summer, this stream would be a real river. As he was wondering what that might look like, the river passed under the road and the view out the window next to Ami suddenly became that of the side of a mountain. Now, the other side of the bus was looking at the winding river and the colorful trees of the valley. As he moved back into his seat, he noticed that he could see down Ami's shirt from this position. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he sat down quickly and hoped that no-one noticed his little indiscretion.

“See anything you like?” Ami asked wryly.

“Um… yeah. It's beautiful really.” Ryuuji verbally stumbled, “I don't think I'd ever get tired of looking at natural wonders like that.”

“Hmm?” Ami raised an eyebrow at him and said more softly, “I was talking about the view down my shirt.”

“Um… yeah.” Ryuuji looked back at her, “So was I.”

“Eh?” Ami was the one to blush now. Quickly turning to look out the window and hide her embarrassment, she nonetheless reached back for Ryuuji. When he took her hand, she told him, “You're getting better at this game, Ryuuji.”

.

**Saturday late morning, October 17 – Nakano Shrine**

* * *

The tour bus pulled into a parking lot and came to a stop under the shade of a large tree of crimson leaves. Other than their bus, the rest of the parking lot was empty. Near by was a small building with a sign that said _Visitor Center_ and a big red torii that marked a path into the woods.

“We’re visiting a shrine?” Haruta asked. He was understandably confused. Of course, the school didn’t normally have any days off at this time of the year. Even if it did, there weren’t any holidays at this time… or at least Haruta couldn’t think of any.

“I wish I had known we were coming here. I would have brought rice.” Deena said as she got off the bus and looked up at the red gateway that marked the walkway to a Shinto Shrine.

“Why is that?” Shinako asked.

“Today is the seventeenth, right?” Deena turned to Shinako and Obasama and answered, “This is the Shinto holiday of thanks for a good harvest. I believe offerings of rice are appropriate.”

“Are you talking about Shukaku Matsuri?” Noto asked Deena.

“I can’t remember the name exactly, but that sounds right.” Deena said.

“What is this?” Obasama asked Shinako.

“I don’t know,” Shinako seemed genuinely surprised, “when I called to make the reservations, they didn’t tell me about a holiday or festival going on.”

“Reservations?” Noto was about to question Shinako when Ryuuji spoke up.

“Hey,” Ryuuji shouted to get everyone’s attention. There was a faded looking sign up on the wall of the visitor center that announced upcoming events. “It looks like they had their harvest festival last weekend.”

“Oh,” Deena looked apologetic, “I guess I had the date wrong.”

“Good morning!” a young woman in the classic red and white shrine maiden outfit called out to them. To Deena she said, “No, you were quite right. The official date is today, but there are so many shrines in the area that we stagger our festivals.” Then, turning to the party in general, she asked, “May I help you?”

“We are the Hisamitsu party.” Shinako smiled and bowed.

“Of course, please come this way.” She led them past the visitor center to an area with several stone statues of lions, foxes, and rabbits. “From here, you may take any of the paths that you wish, but please arrange to be at the shrine by noon. The koyo-doko will be prepared for you.”

“Oh,” Noto brightened, “this is that place!” He remembered that name from his early childhood and the wondrous memories that went with it. Of course, as a child, so many things were new and wonderful to him. When he saw that several of his friends were looking to him for an explanation, he shook his head. Soon it was clear to them all that he wasn't going to divulge anything to them.

“What is it with the Hisamitsu family and their secrets and surprises?” Hisako asked.

“I wonder if Ryuuji isn't a distant relation,” Ami added, “he loves surprises too.”

.

There were several paths from the circle of statues. According to a pamphlet that Hisako had picked up at the visitor center, some of them were more difficult than others. The easiest path was the one that would take them to the shrine. Obasama had already announced that this was the path she would take.

“Maya-san, Hisako-san,” Obasama called out to them, “a moment if you please.” Maya, Noto, Hisako, and Nanako all approached Obasama and Shinako while the others continued to discuss what path to take.

“I see.” Obasama smiled when she saw that the partners of the ones she had called out to, naturally came with them. _So_ _strong are your bonds with each other…_ _impressive._

“Would you like me to call Koigakubo Yuri as well?” Shinako asked.

“No,” Obasama had considered it but… “Her situation is different.” Turning to the ones she had called, as well as the ones she hadn't called, Obasama told them, “There is a special healing ceremony to be held at the shrine in a few minutes. I would like for Noto-kun and Nanako-chan to accompany Shinako and myself.” Before any of them could speak, she added, “This is only for the injured and the old, so Maya-san and Hisako-san will have some time to explore the more interesting paths for a while.”

“I insist.” Nanako said to Hisako just as the tall raven haired girl was about to object. “It will make me sad if I think you had less of a vacation because you spent all your time caring for me.” Nanako smiled, “Besides, I think there's a little girl over there that has been missing your company.”

“Eh?” Hisako looked surprised.

“Both of you,” Nanako took Hisako and Maya’s hands and reminded them, “When I was unconscious in the hospital, you two were the first of us that she met. She has been spending a lot of time with Deena-chan and Onee-chan, but that’s only because she is a good girl and she knew you wanted to have some alone time with the ones you love.”

Once again, Nanako’s uncanny ability to say exactly what was on her mind, took both of her friends by storm. Maya and Hisako both blushed but did not challenge Nanako.

“We’ll be with Obasama,” Noto reassured Maya, “go have fun.”

“We’ll be off then!” Hisako took Maya’s hand and helped her turn and walk back toward the group of her friends. Maya looked back over her shoulder to see if Noto was watching and felt her heart swell when she saw that he was.

“I never would have imagined that I would see that.” Noto said as they watched Hisako and Maya walking away.

“What?” Shinako asked.

“Hisako and Maya holding hands… or even being civil to each other.” Noto answered. “They didn’t get along very well at first. I’m glad to see them getting along now, but I don’t know how long this will last.”

“Unless I am mistaken, it will last for a very long time.” Nanako said.

Shinako looked at Nanako in wonder and Noto was stunned by what Nanako said. He was about to ask her why she would say such a thing when Nanako turned and faced Obasama.

“But I’m not mistaken, am I… Obasama?” Nanako asked the Hisamitsu matriarch.

“You are a very perceptive young lady.” Obasama searched Nanako’s smiling expression for anything disingenuous but found nothing. “You do not object?”

“As long as she is invited and not compelled, I think it’s wonderful.” Nanako answered.

“What’s going on?” Noto finally asked after he was no longer able to restrain his curiosity.

“Come, Noto-kun.” Shinako took her younger cousin by the arm and guided him toward the shrine path, “I will explain while we walk.”

.

Hisako and Maya joined up with Ryuuji and Ami, grabbed Aiko-chan and headed off for one of the more difficult paths. Deena decided to spend some time with Suzume, her friend Umeki and her sister Umeko. Haruta and his fiancé were in that group as well and he had jokingly begun calling Umeki and Umeko the Umekoi twins. It was purely a joke on their names since Umeki was a full ten centimeters shorter, wore glasses, and had a different eye color. They didn’t seem to mind Haruta’s little joke though. In fact, Umeko in turn joked that it was truly refreshing to finally have a _little_ sister. Umeko’s younger but taller sister, Suzume - faked a pout. Kawashima Anna singled out Yasuko this time to get to know her better. After all, if everything went as Ryuuji and Ami planned, they would soon be sisters-in-law. The Major, Yuri, and Yukiko joined them and headed for one of the more scenic paths.

There weren’t that many paths and none of them were very long. The most difficult path wound its way up the hill and had breathtaking vistas of the autumn-colored valley below. Another path had an overlook with a view of the scenic town nestled around the base of the hill. Other paths were laid out to display smaller monuments and shrines, particularly large trees, small streams of clear water, and one or two seemed to have been designed with nothing more in mind than a pleasant walk. By the time it was getting close to noon, they were all back in the circle of statues and ready to take the short path to the shrine.

The walk from the visitor center to the shrine took them through a wooded area with trees in their richest colors. There were so many trees with vibrant red leaves that the red paint on the final bridge over the babbling brook seemed somewhat muted. Arriving at the shrine, they were rejoined with their party that had gone to the healing ceremony.

“Noto,” Ryuuji called out to his friend when they met up in front of the shrine, “what was the healing ceremony like?”

“I… don’t know.” Noto seemed at a loss, “I remember being washed and someone started to massage me, but I must have fallen asleep.”

“I’m pretty sure it had something to do with heated rocks, but I fell asleep as well.” Shinako added.

“Heated rocks?” Ryuuji and Noto asked.

“Before they started, I remember seeing a cauldron with steaming water and they were adding smooth rocks into the water.” Shinako told them.

“Huh,” Ryuuji couldn't imagine what they might have used heated rocks for, “So… how do you feel?”

“Actually, I feel pretty good.” Noto admitted, “But I don’t know if it’s from magic rocks or just getting a good sleep.”

“Oh?” Ami picked up on that comment, “Has Maya not been letting you get any sleep at night?”

“Ami!” Maya blushed.

“I’m sure Maya-chan has been nothing but attentive to Noto-kun’s… needs.” Hisako offered her two-edged support.

Maya’s blush deepened but she said nothing in response to Hisako’s inuendo.

“If that’s the case,” Nanako offered sympathetically, “I guess Noto-kun hasn’t been getting any sleep at all.”

“Nanakooooooo!” Maya hid her face in Noto's jacket again. This was beginning to become a habit. Surely, one that Noto didn’t mind. It felt much more natural this time when he put his arms around her and petted the back of her head to calm her.

.

“If you will follow me,” the young shrine maiden from earlier called to them, “the koyo-doko is ready for you now.”

Following their guide, they walked past the shrine and onto a path that paralleled the brook upstream a bit. As they walked along the path, the sound of splashing water got louder up ahead. When they rounded a corner, they could all see the source of the peaceful sound in front of them. Trees with flame red and vibrant yellow leaves framed several streams and rivulets that fell from far above, to splash over the face of the rocks into the shallow pool of clear water that fed the brook. It was by no means one of the biggest or boldest of waterfalls, but it was certainly one of the most scenic. Along the bank of the pool was set up a long but narrow table. With the seating only on one side, it became obvious that the arrangement was designed for the viewing of the waterfall while enjoying lunch.

To Ryuuji, it all started to feel a bit surreal. He and his mother had never had a lot of money… in fact, they still didn’t. He had never had many friends. Except for the school’s ski trip, and the time he went with Taiga to see his grandparents, he didn’t remember going anywhere or doing anything like this before. Now, here he was having lunch at a waterfall with more than a dozen friends, his girlfriend – the model by his side, his mother sitting next to and chatting merrily with a star… _If this is a dream, please… please don’t let me ever wake up!_

.

**Saturday afternoon, October 17 – Sukasu Onsen**

* * *

Piling off the bus, it looked like at least half the party was exhausted. Hisako was carrying a sleeping Aiko-chan in her arms, but the orange-gold haired little girl wasn’t the only one looking like she needed a nap. Umeki had fallen asleep with her head in Suzume’s lap, but the taller friend had fallen asleep as well. Both of them seemed to be leaning on each other as they walked back towards the familiar onsen. Others couldn't believe that anyone could be thinking about taking a nap when they were at a hot springs spa.

“I want to try the outdoor baths next.” Maya said.

“Tired of Noto-kun already?” Haruta snickered.

“Huh?” Maya responded.

“The outdoor baths are segregated.” Hisako explained, “Noto-kun will have to go to the boys side.”

“Aww.” Maya was disappointed.

“The outdoor mud-bath isn’t segregated.” the Major commented.

“Mud-bath?” several voices asked.

“It isn’t really a mud-bath.” Yuri explained, “The water has a lot of suspended particulates. It’s so thick you can’t see through it and looks muddy, but it isn’t actual mud.”

“There you go, sounding like a teacher again.” the Major teased.

“Hey!” Yuri playfully elbowed the Major in the ribs.

“Sounds messy.” Haruta’s fiancé sounded disinterested.

“You do have to shower off when you get out,” Yuri said, “but it’s worth it. The particulates are very mineral rich and it’s supposed to be incredible for your skin.”

Suzume and Umeki woke up a bit at the sound of that.

“… incredible for your skin…” Maya was intrigued. She still thought of her skin as being _damaged_ ever since the nasty sunburn she got during the summer vacation,

“I’m in.” Hisako said with conviction, “As a model, it would be irresponsible for me to avoid something that is supposed to be good for my skin.”

“Me too.” Nanako said. “I mean… I’m not a model, but it does sound wonderful.” Nanako was hoping everyone else would chime in and that they would all end up going together. Instead, there seemed to be an awkward silence that displaced the good mood. “Maya, you’re coming too… aren’t you?”

“I don’t know if I should,” Maya said nervously. The idea of being in a mixed bath wasn’t terrifying, but it did make her uneasy. Glancing at Nanako, she knew that her best friend had no qualms with it, but to her… it was just so very embarrassing.

“I’m getting pretty tired,” Noto said after he saw the blush on his fiancé's cheeks, “I’ll probably need to lie down for a bit when we get back… if you want to go to the bath’s with your friends.”

Maya blushed even more now. She knew what Noto was doing for her. She could probably enjoy the mineral rich waters for a while, if it was just her and the girls. But she hated that he would have to make that sacrifice for her. After all, anything that was healthy for the body was something that he shouldn’t miss out on in his condition.

“I’ll probably be pretty tired too.” Yuri said. She really wanted to go as well but the idea that one of her male students might be there was too much for her.

“Are you sure?” the Major seemed disappointed. “I know you were really looking forward to that bath.”

“No, I… just, not this time.” Yuri tried not to look sad and wished that the Major would understand her discomfort.

“I see.” the Major did understand, but he though she was being silly. These weren’t freshmen after all. These students were young adults and had already handled several life events some people twice their ages hadn’t yet encountered. Additionally, all three of the male students on this trip were spoken for, and their fiancés were with them. The sudden romantic inclinations of an unattached student shouldn’t be something she should have to worry about at this point. Noto had already said he would bow out, so he turned his eye to Haruta. Although he wasn’t as familiar with that young man as he was with Ryuuji or Noto, he was pretty certain he could count on Haruta-san’s cooperation.

Haruta didn’t know why Maya and sensei had suddenly decided not to go to the mud-bath, but at least his fiancé hadn’t chickened out. Looking around at the others to see what everyone else might might decide, he noticed the Major looking at him. _Sneaky!_ His instincts told him that the Major was up to something. At first, he was worried about what the foreigner might be up to, but when he caught the Major’s raised eyebrow, he was pretty certain he understood the unasked question.

 _I have a plan. Are you in?_ The major’s expression said.

 _Cool! I’m in! I am soooo in!_ Haruta was almost too excited to keep quiet, but he knew he must or the others would know that he and the Major were up to something.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped.” the Major finally replied to Yuri. “I’ll let you rest for a bit. When I get back, I’ll let you know if the mud-bath is really as invigorating as they say it is.”

“Eh?” Yuri was stunned. “But Hisako and Nanako will be there.”

“We’ll be there too!” Haruta cheered.

“So you don’t have to worry about the girls,” the Major smiled, “I’ll be there to keep my eye on them.”

“But…” Yuri wanted to protest. _Yeah, I’ll just bet you’ll keep an eye on them!_

“I suppose, if Haruta and the Major are going, I should go too.” Noto figured out what the other guys were up to and decided this gambit had a better chance of success. “After all, I’m sure that mineral-rich water could only be beneficial for my scars.”

“I…” Maya’s first reaction was to object to Noto being in the same bath with other nude women… but what he said about his scars was true. Besides, something Hisako had said to her came floating back to stifle her jealousy impulse. ‘ _When you respond to things that you don’t like with jealousy and anger, it is childish… and it tends to chip away at the respect one has for you.’_ And that _one_ that Hisako had been talking about was Noto. _Jealousy and embarrassment be damned!_ Maya felt her determination rising. _I have to grow up and I have to be there for Noto… like he is there for me._ “I’m going too.” She was proud of herself for saying it without stuttering and only a little heat of blush on her face.

“Eh!” Yuri felt her concern turning into panic. Looking from Maya back to the Major, she begged, “But… they’re my students!”

“I’m not your student,” Hisako preened, “I’m an adult and I’m a model, and I’m used to being looked at. If you’re so concerned about Major charming looking at your precious students, I’ll just have to do whatever I can… to make sure his eyes stay on me.” Hisako smiled provocatively at the Major.

“What?” Yuri gasped. She knew that there was no physical category where she could best the raven haired model. Hisako was younger, thinner, bustier, taller…

“I’m not a model and I’m not all that used to being looked at… like that.” Haruta’s fiancé fidgeted only a little as she said, “But if it’s just Haruta-kun’s friends and it’s in a place where that sort of thing is… acceptable, I think it is okay. So, I’m fine with going too.”

 _Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. FINE!_ “Fine, I’ll go too.” Yuri turned on the Major and gave him her best angry-pout face and asked, “You really enjoy having your way with me, don’t you?”

“Eh?” Nanako’s eyes opened wider at Yuri’s word choice.

“Wait!” Yuri blushed crimson when she realized that what she said sounded like a completely different question than what she intended to say. “I meant… uh… getting me to do things you like makes you very satisfied.”

“Um…” Noto tried to keep a straight face, “I’m not sure that sounded any better.”

“AH!” Yuri covered her hands with her face but her white hands only added contrast to her red face.

The Major pulled her into a hug and petted her head as she hid her face in his chest. “It’s okay. I know what you meant. And yes, you’re completely right.”

“I am?” Yuri looked up into his smiling face, “About what?”

“I absolutely enjoy…” he kissed her on the forehead, “having my way with you.”

“Major!” Yuri pounded on his broad chest with her small fists, and squealed her frustration into his jacket while everyone laughed at their embarrassing display of affection. Well, embarrassing for Yuri, but the Major looked as if he would fondly remember moments like this for the rest of his life.

.

When Ryuuji got to the entrance of the mud-bath where everyone else was waiting, he felt a great deal of relief. A set of large rocks had been placed in such a way that he could disrobe and enter the bath, out of site of anyone there. The bath wasn’t terribly deep, but due to the suspended minerals making the solution denser than ordinary water, it was easy to sink down to the neck and crouch-walk through the opaque liquid. Soon after clearing the tall rocks, he found his friends. Haruta and his fiancé were with Maya and the Hisamitsu’s. Yukiko was with Ami and her mom, and his mom. They were chatting and laughing – which was a good sign, but it did worry him what they might be chatting and laughing about. Hopefully his mother wasn’t telling embarrassing stories. The younger girls were with Deena, Yuri, and the Major. It seemed that there were a few missing.

“Hey,” he asked as he approached Yukiko, Ami, and the moms, “have you seen Hisako and Nanako?”

“Oh my,” Anna gushed, “he is so responsible isn’t he?”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Manager.” Yukiko chuckled, “Those two lovebirds are on the other side of those rocks.” She waved at some rocks that seemed to break up the large bath area. “They said they wanted some quiet to do a relaxation exercise.”

“Oh, is that what they’re calling it these days?” Anna laughed.

“Hmm,” Ami said, “knowing those two, I wouldn’t be surprised if they really do know some kind of hot springs relaxation technique.”

“Really?” Anna’s curiosity was piqued. As she started to head off in the directions of the rocks, she said, “If that’s the case, I wonder if they wouldn’t mind teaching it?”

“Okasan!” Ryuuji and Ami both called out.

“Uh, yes?” Anna was stunned to hear Ryuuji call her by that honorific, but had to admit that it felt good. She had already been told about Yasuko's preference to be called by her name or by Onee-chan. _My goodness, perhaps I will be the first ‘Okasan’ to this young man._

“Let’s let them have their privacy.” Ami told her mother, “We can always ask about the relaxation thing tomorrow.”

“Besides,” Ryuuji noticed that the other groups of his friends were listening to him now. He waved at them to all come closer and told them, “I have something important to tell you.”

.

**Saturday morning, October 17 – California: University Student Lounge**

* * *

There were several monitors playing news from around the world as the room filled up with students getting their breakfast before heading off to classes and study groups. There were a few other Japanese students sitting with Kitamura and Sumire, as well as several other students that didn’t speak Japanese. Those students noticed when all the Japanese speaking students stopped talking and looked in shock at the monitor playing satellite relayed news from Japan.

“What?” the Canadian girl looked over her shoulder at the monitor that they were all looking at but she couldn’t read what was on the screen either. “What’s going on?”

“A few days ago, the government of Japan ordered all the schools to close because of the Pandemic.” Kitamura told them, “They also closed all the other places that large numbers of people might gather.”

“Whoa,” another student asked, “is it really that bad there?”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds but they’re worried about how bad it could be.” Sumire told them, “Japan’s population is more densely clustered and connected than a lot of other nations. They are afraid of a tipping point where it spirals out of control.”

“But… I thought there was a vaccine now?” the Canadian girl stated – more than asked.

“There is, but the population has been slow to embrace it for… various reasons.” Kitamura said, “but that choice was just taken away from them. The news is saying that the vaccine is now mandatory.”

“That sounds like martial law.” someone observed.

“It’s not that bad,” Sumire felt Kitamura squeeze her hand under the table.

“Hey,” Kitamura turned to face everyone at his table and asked them, “have all of you got your vaccinations yet?” Watching the results he smiled and in his pleasant, reassuring voice, he offered, “Then why don’t we all go down to the clinic after breakfast. Anyone that hasn’t already got it, can get the protection and we’ll be one step closer to wiping this thing out.”

Sumire didn’t admit that she still hadn’t got her vaccination shot yet either. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe the Pandemic was serious or that the vaccine was ineffective. She just really really really didn’t like needles. There were stories that her family would tell about how it took four adults to hold her down when she had to get the required battery of vaccinations for middle school. She hated that story. But she hated the weakness of fear that gripped her whenever a syringe was near by, even more. She squeezed Kitamura’s hand back.

Yet again, she would need him and he would be there. Even without him ever telling her of his conviction, she knew that he would always be there when she needed him. Sumire admitted to herself that she envied Kitamura – his inner strength, his calm reasoning, his brilliant mind. These were traits that she felt herself lacking in… to a degree. In times of need, she always knew she could count on him… lean on him, and he would give her whatever she needed. Thinking about the syringe awaiting her, she would need his strength soon.

.

**Sunday early morning, October 18 – Sukasu Onsen**

* * *

Yuri woke to the sound of movement in the room. Her hand moved over to where the Major should be, but she found only a warm place on the mattress and an empty pillow. Forcing her eyelids open, she was able to focus after a few seconds to see him quickly packing his suitcase in the dark room.

“What?” Yuri sat up on the futon that they had been sharing, “What’s going on?”

“Corporal Walker and I have been recalled.” the Major told her, “I’m sorry…”

“Why?” Yuri sounded concerned as she put on a Yukata and asked, “Did you do something wrong?”

“Oh no, nothing like that.” the Major chuckled, “Getting recalled just means they need us for something.”

“Huh?” Yuri was still sleep-confused and needed simple answers, “What's going on? We're not at war are we?”

“Nobody's at war… at least not any new ones.” the Major glanced over at his sleep deprived fiancé and wondered how she ever got herself started in the morning. “Sometimes we get recalled for training exercises or in response to natural disasters. In this case, the Japanese government…” The Major suddenly realized he was saying too much. He winced and told her, “I can’t talk about it. It’s… classified.” He didn’t have his bag in his hand, but he opened the door to the room intending to go check on Corporal Walker’s readiness. According to the call he got earlier, the helicopter would be here in less than an hour. The door opened up, but he couldn’t go anywhere. Noto, Ryuuji, Maya, Ami, Hisako, and Nanako all stood in the doorway. They were all dressed in the inn’s Yukata’s and looked like they hadn’t been up long.

“The Japanese government has requested help in the form of medical personnel and translators.” Noto announced before the shocked Major could say anything. “It seems there will be a huge effort to inoculate the entire nation with mass vaccinations starting tomorrow.”

“That’s classified.” the Major wasn’t angry but concerned that Corporal Walker may have been unprofessional around her friends. “How did you know that?”

“Here,” Noto offered his smart-phone to the Major, “it’s on a news feed.”

“Hmpf!” the Major was only a little surprised. It wouldn't be the first time that not everyone got the memo and a classified operation was announced to the public by a well intentioned but clueless functionary.

“But your information is a little out of date, Major.” Ryuuji said, “You must have muted your phone while you were packing up. They called Deena-chan when they couldn’t get you.”

“Oh? What’s up?” the Major picked up his phone and sure enough, there were several messages for him.

“They canceled the helicopter because of the thunderstorm and winds on the mountain. They are sending ground transportation but it won’t be here for six hours.” Ami smiled as she gave him the update.

“Six hours?” the Major was surprised it would take that long to get a car here.

“Hey,” Yuri wrapped her arms around him from behind so he couldn't see the tears in her eyes, “it looks like you have time for breakfast and another bath before you go.”

“And when you do go, you will need to take sensei and the rest of us with you.” Ryuuji said.

“Huh?” both Yuri and the Major gaped.

“The order is to assemble medical personnel and translators, right?” Nanako smiled.

“Sure, but… oh no. I can’t…” the Major could see the trap but not a way out of it.

“Why not?” Ami asked, “We’ve done this before. As I recall you used phrases like ‘highly effective’ and ‘ambassadors of good will’ in your praise.”

“I… don’t want to be the one to take your vacation and turn it into work.” the Major said sincerely, “I did that before and I felt rotten for it.”

“Baka!” Yasuko’s giggle-laugh broke the tension in the room, “Everyone thought it was fun! They got memories that will last a lifetime on that trip. Now, you just stop feeling rotten right now mister! You know they all volunteered to help you because they are your super-duper friends, right? They wouldn't be your friends if they thought you were rotten, now would they?”

Yasuko had pushed her way through the kids and was now in the room in front of the Major. She could see Yuri’s arms still wrapped around him from behind and could guess that she was a wreck from this morning’s emotional roller-coaster.

“You kids head on down to the dining room.” Yasuko waved them off as she closed the door to the room, “We’ll be along as soon as Yuri-chan and I get the Major back into his Yukata.”

.

Ryuuji had watched the door close in front of him and had taken six steps before the realization hit him. _Wait… if she’s still in the room while he changes into the Yukata then…_ Ryuuji was blushing at his mother’s brazenness and hoping that no-one else figured out what he just did.

“Dude, I just gotta say,” Haruta put a hand on Ryuuji’s shoulder, “your mom is so cool!”

“Huh?” Ryuuji’s cringe turned into disbelief.

“She really is.” Ami agreed with a smile. _She believed in me more than I ever believed in myself._ Ami reached out and took Ryuuji’s hand and squeezed it. _I’m so glad she was right… I’m so glad I didn’t let her down._

.

One would have almost expected a somber mood in the indoor bath with everyone knowing that the vacation was soon coming to a close. But it didn’t seem that way at all. There was an air of eagerness and anticipation that bordered on excitement in the room. All of them had known that something like this might happen. When the Major had arrived at the end of their summer vacation with the vaccine, he told them what might be expected of them. As models, the burden had primarily fallen on Ami and Hisako at the time; if necessary, they would use their positions as celebrities to calm and persuade the public – regarding the vaccine for the Pandemic. Everyone else would be there to show a friendly face and translate for the foreign medical teams. The Major listened quietly to the building excitement in the room. He appreciated it and felt regret that he would have to quash their excitement. He had one trick left to keep from ruining all of their vacations. When the car arrived, he would simply point out that there wasn’t enough room for the rest of them to come along, and that would be the end of it.

“What’s wrong?” Yuri asked him.

“Nothing,” he lied, “I just wish this vacation wouldn’t end so soon.”

“It’s still a vacation for me if I can still be with you.” Yuri smiled.

“Me too.” the Major kissed his fiancé but couldn’t get rid of the guilt of not telling her what would soon happen. Until now, he had been glad that this escape would be possible and he would be able to leave them all behind in a safe place to enjoy themselves. But Yuri… She made him desire things that went against his cooler logic. _If there was some way that I could take you_ _with me_ _, I promise that I would._ He swore to himself. It was a safe vow. He couldn’t imagine any way to take the rest of them along.

.

There were big windows in the lobby that overlooked the view of the valley… or at least it normally did. Nothing beyond the parking lot could be seen through the rain and haze now. The occasional flash and distant boom of thunder reminded them that there was a world out there past the gray of the rain washed windows.

“I wonder if it’s snowing up on the mountain now?” Yasuko asked as she watched a large vehicle coming to a stop in front of the lobby entrance.

The Major’s jaw was hanging open as he stared at the huge tour bus. At first, he thought it was a mistake, but the door on the bus opened for a sergeant carrying a clipboard and an umbrella.

“Close your mouth Major Charming,” Hisako said sweetly, “it’s unbecoming.”

His mouth snapped shut and he looked at Hisako. _She knew!_ He could tell from the smug look on her face that she knew all along that a bus would be coming for them. What’s more – she knew that he wasn’t expecting it… which meant, “You knew all along that I was planning to leave you here, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Hisako admitted, “I wanted to call you a lying two-faced bastard for it. But Ryuuji-sama insisted that you were just doing what you thought was best for the rest of us.”

“Ryuuji huh?” The Major turned to Ryuuji and asked, “How did you get the military bureaucracy to send a bus instead of a car?”

“I didn’t.” Ryuuji explained, “I just called our talent agency and asked them if they could contact the Ministry of Health on our behalf.”

The sergeant had made it into the entryway and was shaking the rain off his umbrella onto the mat while the rest of the party was showing up with their suitcases. ^Major Locke?^ he called out to the room as he changed shoes into the onsen’s provided slippers.

^Over here sergeant.^ the Major called back in English.

The sergeant approached and saluted the Major as he handed him the clipboard. ^Here you are sir.^

^Sergeant, do you speak Japanese?^ the Major asked as he scanned over the orders on the clipboard. Unfortunately, the form was only informational regarding the material usage. Essentially, he was being asked to sign for the bus.

^No sir.^ the sergeant replied.

^Can you tell me, what exactly are your orders?^ the Major asked.

^Yes sir,^ the sergeant recited his orders, ^pick up a tour bus, come to this onsen, pick up the Major, an Australian Corporal, a bunch of Japanese translators, and a four girl singing group.^

“Mr. Manager,” the Major looked like he was trying to dismiss a headache, “your agency is very effective.”

.

**Monday morning, October 19 – Schools, Hospitals, and Malls**

* * *

Police, medical workers, and volunteers had been warned for several days that the mandatory mass vaccination program could be hectic, or even violent. It had been more than fifty years since something like this been enforced in Japan, and no-one was sure what the results might be. Anticipating protests and even riots, they had made what preparations they could. But the undertaking was so immense in scope that it would be impossible to prepare for every contingency everywhere.

When the doors opened at places where people meet, there had been surprise by the organizers and the media at how many people showed up voluntarily. By the end of the day, they were again surprised by how orderly and efficiently everything had worked. Speculations abounded in the media as to why it had all been such a non-event after all. Some ascribed it to the Japanese culture of obedience to authority. Conspiracy theorists suggested that the government had made a deal with organized crime to make sure nothing happened. After all the pollsters and opinion research efforts were complete, it would turn out that the deciding factor would be the children. The seeds of the nation's willful compliance were planted by the media themselves. When the news services announced the first time that a perfectly healthy child had died from the flu, it had started. After the number of deaths increased and the schools closed down, even the cynics paid attention. Objections, politics, agendas, and prejudices were put aside as the people of Japan listened to the radio or television, found the nearest inoculation center, got in line, and did what needed to be done to save the children.

When it was all over, the numbers would show that the nation had reached it’s ten day goal for inoculating eighty percent of the population, in only three days. But, just because the vaccinations were complete, it did not mean that everyone was now healthy. Those that were still sick or recovering would still have trials ahead of them and it would be some time before they would be able to return to school or work. And yet, because the vaccination program had been so successful, political pressure was on, to re-open the schools as soon as possible.

Those that expected a return to normalcy would be in for an unwelcome surprise at the inevitable and unexpected consequences...


	32. When You Can't Crawl

**Sunday afternoon, October 25 – Hisamitsu Noto's residence**

* * *

Maya was disappointed. She had watched Ryuuji make Nizakana with some seasonal flounder and it had turned out well. Hers however… The dashi had not simmered well, the fish tasted dry, and the sauce was too thin. The rice came out well, but it was just made with the rice cooker, so… that didn't really count. Maya had been able to make rice in a rice cooker since elementary school, so that did nothing to show off her cooking skills or bolster her confidence. So far, no-one had said anything, but she knew the meal had been a disaster.

Obasama and Shinako sat at on one side of the table with two empty seats. Noto's adoptive parents were supposed to be in those seats but they had not made the last train from Tokyo and would be staying the night in the city. On the other side of the table, Maya and Nanako sat together with Noto and Hisako beside them. Since Obasama and Shinako had not left the onsen with the Major's tour bus, they had spent a good part of the dinner conversation listening to stories of how the Ministry of Health had put them all to work.

Obasama had found the stories amusing and thrilling as she heard how her grandson and his friends were taken to malls, schools, and even museums. Since there had not been the number of objections or questions that had been anticipated, their group had been re-assigned to public relations work. It wasn't until the fifth stop at a shopping mall that they were asked to do something special. Nanako was the one to suggest that Ami, Hisako, Suzume, and Aiko-chan sing something.

Ami and Hisako had been concerned that they wouldn't sound as good without the acoustic recording room and the special microphones. But, they had all promised at the beginning that they would do what they could to help… and this was something they could do.

The crowd reaction told them quickly that they would not have to rely on acoustic rooms or special microphones to get the sound right. After the first song, the audience was mesmerized. After the second song, the Major suggested that they pack up and move to the next location on the list before the girls turn the inoculation efforts into an impromptu concert. He was concerned that the interest in the girl's performance might actually cause a problem for the people trying to efficiently run the vaccination event. The Major's fears were justified a few days later when they arrived at a mall in Sendai where a television news crew was already doing a live broadcast. The combination of the camera's, the lights, the crowds, and the performance was too much for the local crowd control teams. Lines started to break down and become confused as people wanted to get closer to the performance. Some of the people in the crowd started to get angry when the performance was quickly shut down and the girls were removed. If it had not been for Koigakubo Yuri picking up a megaphone and using her best _The Teacher Is Not Amused_ voice, it might have become ugly. Both Ryuuji and the Major learned something about live productions that day.

Maya smiled and nodded as her friends recalled the story of how they wound through the towns and cities along the expressways on the way back towards Tokyo, and finally towards home. She wished she could laugh along with them, but her mind was stuck on her cooking failure. The trip had been a lot of work and a lot of fun, but she just couldn't enjoy reminiscing about it now. Not after the disaster of the…

“Maya-chan!” Shinako said in a raised voice.

“Eh?” Maya looked up from the table to see concerned faces looking at her.

“Obasama called your name several times.” Shinako explained. She seemed more concerned than angry as she asked, “Are you okay?”

“I'm sorry. I just…” Maya looked back down again in her shame. “I ruined the meal and…”

“Enough, child!” Obasama said sternly, “Now you must listen to what I say and hear the wisdom of the aged. First, you must acknowledge that I am aged because my wisdom comes from long years of life. So when I call you child, it is no insult. To me, everyone in this room is a child.”

“Yes, Obasama!” Maya knew that she deserved whatever lecture she was about to get from Noto's grandmother. She had ruined the meal and now she had been inattentive to Noto's important guests.

“What you have done tonight was expected, because it happens all the time.” Obasama said. “You had important guests coming over and you wanted to impress them with a difficult dish that you were unfamiliar with.”

“Yes, Obasama.” Maya almost cried. That Obasama knew the full measure of her failure was unexpected. It was as if the sentences were spears that penetrated her to the core.

If you are a foolish girl, you will give up.” Obasama said with more kindness, “But if you are the girl that Noto and Shinako tell me you are… if you are the girl that I think you are, you will take this as a challenge. You will learn this dish. You will do it again and again and again… until you get it right. Then, you will serve it again.”

“Yes, Obasama.” Maya looked up to see Obasama smiling at her. She had almost gasped when Obasama told her what kind of girl she thought Maya was.

“A lesson to learn here is that you do not try new things out on your guests.” Obasama lightly reprimanded Maya.

“Yes, Obasama.” Maya felt the reproval, but it didn't hurt like she had anticipated.

“But, a more important lesson for you is this: someday, when your sons have grown tall and proud, you will meet their fiancés and they will make a mistake such as this.” Obasama told her, “If you don't like them and you think they would not be good for your sons, a few curt words will leave them in despair. But if you do like them… if you have decided that you want them in your family because you feel that they are as special as your sons and grandsons believe those girls to be… words of kindness and understanding will work wonders.”

 _Special?_ “Yes… Obasama.” Maya was almost in tears again, but this time from happiness. _Obasama thinks I am special?_

Noto too was paying attention. He knew Maya was not happy but, other than hold her hand, he didn't know what to do to help her. It was enlightening to see how his grandmother took charge of the situation and, in a few words, completely turned Maya's mood around for the better.

“As I was saying, Maya-chan,” Obasama brought the conversation back to where it had been, before the small detour to fix Maya's mood, “It seems that you get along well with Hisako-chan rather well these days.”

“Um… yes,” Maya now wished she had been paying attention to the conversation, “I think so too.” She shot a glance at Hisako but the tall raven haired girl looked perplexed too. Nanako however looked like a girl that was getting a present that she already knew she would like.

“Well then, I am satisfied with these arrangements.” Obasama smiled and picked up her drink. “I believe I have done all I can do to insure that young Noto's future, and the future of the Hisamitsu family, is bound for prosperity, security, and luck.”

“Thank you, Obasama.” Noto bowed as he thanked his grandmother.

Maya took her cue from Noto and bowed with him. She would ask Noto what was going on later.

.

Later didn't take very long. After finishing her drink, Shinako helped her grandmother up, they said their farewells, and left. Only Noto and Nanako did not look confused after the door closed.

“Noto,” Maya asked as soon as it was polite to do so, “what's going on?”

“Yeah! What the heck was that all about?” Hisako wanted to know too. “Unlike Maya, I wasn't daydreaming, but I didn't get what that was all about either.”

“Noto-kun,” Nanako put her hand on Noto's arm, “may I explain?”

“Please.” Noto was ready to explain, but he could see that both Hisako and Maya might be more receptive to Obasama's plan if Nanako was the one to tell them.

“Hisako-chan,” Nanako seemed rather excited as she asked her girlfriend, “do you think your modeling career will last more then four or five more years?”

“I didn't think it would last to the end of this year until Ryuuji and Ami came along.” Hisako answered, “But no… there may be the occasional gig but I doubt I will be able to make a living at it by then.”

“Have you thought about what you will do when you can no longer make a living at modeling?” Nanako asked.

“I’ve… worried about it but…” Hisako looked away. She was actually quite worried about what she would do. Having been reviled in the press for over a year, she would have a bad reputation just about everywhere so she would probably end up taking whatever kind of job she could find. It was something she didn’t like to think about since the prospects were not that attractive.

“So,” Nanako rescued her girlfriend, “its safe to say that you don’t have any firm plans that can’t be changed?”

“Uh… yeah.” Hisako knew Nanako was trying to help her out, but that still stung, “You can say that.”

“Maya-chan,” Nanako turned to her best friend, “knowing that the Hisamitsu family will be expecting Noto to have a lot of heirs, are you concerned about being able to handle raising that many children?”

“Ulp… yes.” Maya was reminded of a nagging fear that had been bothering her for a while now.

“You both know how Obasama considers Hisako-chan to be a living good-luck charm for Noto-kun, right?” Nanako reached out and took Hisako's left hand and Maya's right hand such that if the two of them also joined hands they would form a circle.

“Yes.” both Hisako and Maya both answered.

“Essentially, Obasama's plan is for Hisako and I to become part of your household after we are all done with college.

“What?” Hisako and Maya both gaped.

“Huh?” Nanako first looked to Maya and looked hurt as she asked, “You don't want me to help you raise your children? I was looking forward to being their Obasan.”

“No! I mean YES!” Maya was flustered at the storm of different emotions she was feeling, “That sounds wonderful! But… how could I ask that of you? It's… it's too much to ask.”

“No, Maya-chan.” Nanako smiled at her long time friend, “I have suspected Obasama's plans for some time and I personally am thrilled.” Turning to her girlfriend, Nanako said, “Hisako-chan, your role would be a little different. Obasama wants you to be trained to be a personal assistant, to Noto. She wants you by his side in all business dealings and at home as well.”

“So, I'm to be a servant?” Hisako sounded skeptical but not surprised. Given the options she had imagined for herself, being a servant wasn’t the worst thing that had come to mind.

“Yes.” Nanako decided not to sugarcoat it, “Since you will be serving Noto-kun, you could call it that.”

“I will not call it that.” Noto broke into the conversation. “No-one will compel you to accept this. As far as I am concerned, you will be a valuable employee, a good friend, and a trusted ally.”

“Trusted?” Hisako was a little stunned at Noto's words. Despite the many times that Ryuuji and Ami had stated and restated their trust in her, Hisako was still moved whenever anyone said that to her. However, there was always the small voice that told her that she wasn't really trusted; this was all just a ploy to trick her… to get something from her.

“Indeed.” Noto warned Hisako, “I will not lie to you. My future is not guaranteed and there will be tough times and battles ahead. I will need people around me that are strong. People that I can rely on. People that I can trust implicitly.”

 _Th-Thump!_ The words _trust implicitly_ had been like a hammer blow to Hisako's doubts.

“And you think that some day, you will be able to trust me like that?” Hisako asked. The hopefulness in her voice was tainted with the disbelief from so many years of being the untrusted _bad girl_. _He's not hiding the fact that he wants my help… but then, it isn't a trick if he isn't hiding it, right?_ _Still, it is too much to hope for that he would really trust me some day._

“In fact,” Noto looked straight into the tall model's eyes, “I already do.”

_Th-Thump!_

“I…” Hisako was shaken. She looked at the encouraging smile on Nanako's face and, unexpectedly there was even happiness on Maya's face. She looked back at Noto and knew that he was completely serious. _This is not a joke._ _This Hisamitsu Noto really trusts me! Are all of Ami's friends so foolish? Or naive? Or… are they all just wonderful?_ For the first time in her life, she felt like she had a future plan that dispelled the bleakness of the unknown. As soon as she knew what her answer would be, she felt a weight lifted from her that she hadn't realized she had been carrying… and if felt good.

“I'm in!” Hisako said firmly. _I'll be your fukurou._

.

**Sunday evening, October 25 – Kawashima Ami's residence**

* * *

Kawashima Anna was impressed. Not only was the dinner nutritious, but Ami had not exaggerated when she said that Ryuuji was skilled at cooking. She remembered Yamada Yukiko's comments that, with just a little training, he could easily be a chef in her hotel. She also remembered the way Yukiko's eyes followed Ryuuji. Everything she had learned since meeting with her daughter's fiancé, and everything she had heard about him from her own people at the talent agency, helped her to solidify her opinion of Ryuuji. Despite his initially terrifying looks, she had to admit that this young man was quite the catch.

As they relaxed around the fireplace in the living room, Anna turned the conversation to her daughter's career and future.

“I like what you have set up for Ami's return, Ryuuji.” Anna was saying, “But I am wondering why you want to wait until April for the release?”

“Ryuuji is doing that for me.” Ami answered Ryuuji's question, “I wanted to finish high school as normally as possible.”

“Ah, I see.” Anna thought it might be something like that and asked her daughter, “Aside from the stalker that you dealt with last year, have there been any problems since you've started working again?”

“No,” Ami looked to Ryuuji but he shook his head to confirm her answer, “we haven't had any problems.”

“So, even though you have been modeling and your face is in the media again, there haven't been any problems.” Anna seemed to think over what she had just said for a moment, “I can only think of a few reasons why that could be the case.”

“Oh?” Ryuuji asked. He hadn't thought about the fact that they had been free from that sort of problem, but now that Ami's mother brought it up, he did wonder.

“There would be no interest if you are no longer popular.” Anna waited until Ami's look of indignation peaked then said, “But according to the agency, you are almost as popular now as you were before your hiatus when you decided to return to high school.”

Ami felt better but she was still pouting a bit. She knew her mother had played her and that she was immensely enjoying this – and that only made Ami pout even more.

“There is always the possibility that a stalker or some paparazzi might have come calling but decided otherwise when they saw this guy next to you.” Anna gestured at Ryuuji.

“Oh yeah…” Ryuuji felt deflated as he was reminded of his dire appearance.

“I'm sorry Ryuuji-san,” Anna realized that she had been rather tactless about something that still bothered the boy. She offered, “If that is the case though, this may be a good thing.”

“Huh?” Ryuuji looked up to his future mother-in-law.

“With your appearance,” Anna explained, “just by being at her side – you are protecting her from potentially dangerous people.”

“Oh.” Ryuuji thought about that. His looks had previously brought him nothing but trouble. But, what if Anna was right? Could his fearsome looks have actually done some good after all?

“You're thinking of another reason, aren't you?” Yasuko asked. She and Deena had been quiet until now, but Yasuko didn't like it when Ryuuji dwelled too much on his appearance. Although she thought her son was extremely handsome, she knew that his looks bothered him.

“Well… yes.” Anna said, “You're different than you used to be, Ami. You've dropped that silly airhead personae that used to drive me nuts, and you are more confident now than you have ever been. You have been through a lot in the last year and you have persevered. I think… all of that is making you a stronger person. It might be that they aren't targeting you because people like that prefer to prey on those they perceive as weak.”

“But…” Ami was about to object but she remembered what her mother said about the personae. She may not really have been a weak person, but the airhead that she projected certainly was. “… maybe you're right.”

“In any case,” Anna said, “I think you are being too conservative. I want you to move up the release dates.”

“Why?” Ami liked how everything had been moving and she didn't like the idea of needlessly changing Ryuuji's plans.

“If you are just thinking about the modeling industry, you will be fine with that schedule.” Anna told them, “I'm not sure about the music world, but if you are wanting to break into acting, an April debut will be too late to capitalize on your growing fame… at least, not until the following year.”

Ami glanced at Ryuuji and saw the look of shock on his face. He hadn't thought of that. Ami knew how hard Ryuuji had tried and how much he felt that he was inadequate for the job. She was about to defend him when her mother spoke up again.

“Ryuuji, you have done an outstanding job.” She smiled and reached across the table to hold his hand, “You have learned a amazing amount about the modeling and even the music industry. If it is okay with you, I would like to take you aside and tell you what I know of the world of acting. Or, at least what a manager would need to know.”

“Don't you think that maybe it is time for Ami to have a professional manager?” Ryuuji offered.

Ami immediately shot a glare at Ryuuji.

“Not at all.” Anna answered before Ami could start yelling at Ryuuji for suggesting that… again. “It is an amazing thing to have trust between you and your manager. As competent as you've shown yourself to be so far, I would not even consider it.”

Ryuuji's head snapped up and he looked at Anna. He had been sure that Anna was getting ready to recommend getting a professional agent for her daughter. Her support was unexpected and the smile she returned to him was comfortingly warm.

“Yes,” Ryuuji bowed his head again, “I would like to learn anything you can teach me.”

.

**Monday morning, October 26 – Ohashi High School**

* * *

Having finished their tour across Japan to help with the inoculation efforts, it was a somber feeling to get back to school only to see that almost half of the students were still absent. The official numbers would say that the absentee rate was at forty percent, but it felt worse than that with all the empty desks and missing friends.

Hisako was invited to come back and help the nurse again. Many returning students that had beaten their flu symptoms were still physically weak and often needed help getting to the nurses office where they could rest for a bit.

When lunch time came, the friends were pushing their desks together when Haruta called out from the door, “Hey, Takasu-kun! You have a visitor.”

Ryuuji and several of the others in the room looked up to see a timid looking girl clutching a note in her hand. Ryuuji didn't know this girl and from the looks of her already nervous demeanor, was concerned that he would only scare her if he went over to talk to her privately. Ryuuji looked to Noto and saw that he was already getting up.

“I've got this.” Noto smiled as he headed for the girl waiting at the door.

“Why does Noto have to go?” Maya grouched as she watched her boyfriend making his way over to the girl.

Nobody said anything but Nanako put her hand on Maya's arm and raised an eyebrow at her. Maya understood the message as if it had been a long lecture. _Noto is a good boy. He is gregarious and friendly. He will talk to a lot of people. But, he will always be Maya's Noto. Always._

Maya said nothing in reply but put her hand on Nanako's and nodded her head.

“Takasu-kun, it appears that the Student Council has a message for you.” Noto said, after he brought the girl over to the table. She still clutched the note, but she appeared less frightened now. Her calm didn't last long though. When Ryuuji stood to speak with the girl, she suddenly bowed low and thrust her hand with the clutched note out toward him.

“Um… thank you.” Ryuuji said as he pried the note from her nervous fingers. After reading the note, he looked at the still bowing girl in disbelief.

“What is it?” Ami asked.

“Is it a confession?” Haruta asked.

“Eeeep!” the girl was still bowing but was now hiding her blushing face behind her hands.

“No, it’s not a confession.” Ryuuji looked at Ami as he said, “The Student Council has denied us the use of the Auditorium.”

“What?” everyone at the table and some of the class cried out. They all knew what this meant for Ami and Ryuuji's plans to get married during the Cultural Festival.

“Let's go find the student council right now and…” Ami had slammed her hand on the desk and leapt to her feet but the cries from the bowing girl stopped her.

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!” the still bowing girl cried out.

“Why are you sorry?” Koigakubo Yuri asked as she approached the table with her bento.

“I am the acting Student Council President.” the girl seemed on the verge of tears and was back to being frightened again.

“What happened to…” Noto was about to ask, but the upset girl forced the words out.

“They're all sick!” she cried out, “They won't be back for several weeks so it's up to me and now… now… everyone hates me.”

“Hey,” Ryuuji reached across the desks and lifted the girl's chin so he was looking into her eyes, “I don't hate you. Tell me why you think everyone else hates you.”

“It's all canceled.” she told them, “Everything… every event… the whole cultural festival is canceled.”

“WHAAAT?” everyone reacted.

“Why?” Maya asked.

“The Vice-Principal told me that there has been damage to the school from the storms that they haven't got fixed yet. So the school grounds can't be considered safe for visitors.”

“Why haven't they made the repairs?” Nanako asked.

“They tried.” Koigakubo Yuri told them, “So many people are still out sick that the available repair men have too much work. There aren’t any work crews that will be able to get to us before December.”

“You knew about this?” Ryuuji asked his teacher.

“I knew that the repairs were on hold but I didn't know that it was so bad that we can't allow visitors.” Yuri told him.

“I see.” Ryuuji thought about what this would mean to their plans.

“I don't get it,” Haruta had his characteristic confused look as he asked the nervous girl, “why does everyone hate you for this?”

“Because...” she screwed up her courage to talk to these third years, “Because it is my responsibility as the acting Student Council President, to go to all the groups and classrooms and tell them that it is all canceled.”

“And they blame you for it.” Hisako stated.

“Yes,” the poor girl trembled.

“Oho!” Ryuuji pulled himself out of his musings when he heard that. Turning to his teacher he asked, “Sensei?”

“Go,” Yuri laughed, “I'll feel guilty as hell if I don't let you do this.”

“I'm going too.” Ami said resolutely.

“What's going on?” Haruta asked.

“Ryuuji and Ami will be accompanying the acting Student Council President around to the remaining clubs and classrooms.” Yuri told Haruta. Then turning to the surprised girl she said, “They will not let anyone else blame you for this.”

“How can they...” the acting Student Council President started to ask, but Yuri raised her hand.

“It's what they do.” was Yuri's only explanation.

“I'll go too!” Haruta chimed in.

“You, Haruta-san, have a lot of studying to do. Your test results are still the worst.” Yuri said.

“Awwww sensei!” Haruta grumped.

.

It was raining lightly as they walked home from school. The real temperature wasn't too bad, but the dampness and the wind made it feel a lot colder than it was. Ami leaned into her fiancé as they walked under the big two-person umbrella that the Major had given Ryuuji as a gift. The umbrella did a good job of keeping the rain off their faces, but the wind made sure that their clothes were damp, cold, and clammy from the waist down. The dreary chill in his clothes did nothing to help Ryuuji’s mood. He was still upset about losing the school's auditorium for the wedding and trying to figure out what he should do next.

“What are you thinking?” Ami asked him after several minutes of silent walking.

“Witches…” Ryuuji mumbled.

“Eh?” Ami knew Ryuuji was tenacious, but this dedication was borderline mental. “You’re still trying to make this happen? The end of October is less than a week away. Ryuuji, at some point you just have to accept that...”

“No!” Ryuuji’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm. His eyes were focused somewhere on the horizon and Ami wondered if he was aware of anything around him… except her. His arm was firmly around her shoulders and held her tight to his side as they walked home through the dreary autumn afternoon. “The one that I love said ‘witches’ so I have to do whatever I can to make that happen.”

_The one that I love said ‘witches’…_

Ami could swear she heard the sound of a gong from somewhere when he said that. Her heard beat more strongly and the world seemed to fade away from her senses.

_The one that I love…_

Colors and details melted away from her vision. The numbing chill in the air was gone. Sounds of the road and wind were attenuated until she could only hear her own heart beating in her chest.

_The one that I love…_

All that was left was the overpowering warmth of the person walking next to her. The heat from his arm where it toucher her back and shoulders radiated into the very core of her being. Ami was now the one that was no longer aware of her surroundings. Her head was on Ryuuji's shoulder and her eyes half closed as she walked next to him in a daze.

Yasuko saw them approaching from the other direction as she was just coming back from shopping. Her son was looking particularly fierce and Ami was the image of dreamy love as they walked together. If her hands hadn’t hadn’t been holding all the grocery bags, she would have raised her cell phone to get a picture of them like that. Yasuko got to the door first and had it open before they got to the porch. Ami seemed to come out of her trance enough to help Yasuko with the groceries just as Ryuuji’s phone started ringing.

“Hello?” Ryuuji answered the phone without looking at the Caller ID to see who it was.

“Ryuuji you insufferable bastard! Did you forget about me? What the hell is wrong with you?” A clearly aggravated voice blasted out of Ryuuji’s cell phone loud enough for Ami and Yasuko to recognize the person behind the angry words.

“I thought you might call.” Ryuuji sighed. In contrast to the shocked expressions from his mother and Ami, Ryuuji had been expecting this.

.

**Monday afternoon, October 26 – Kabanoki Elementary School**

* * *

“Okasan! Okasan!” a little girl’s shrill voice called out to her mother, “That is Aiko-chan, she’s the one that’s going to be a model and she sings too!”

“Of course she does,” a tired mother listened to the cries of her excited daughter. She had been hearing about this incredible Aiko-chan ever since Sports Day and was getting tired of it. If nothing else, that child had certainly filled her daughter’s head with some wild stories. Well, if nothing else, she at least now had a face to put with the stories. The beleaguered mother had to admit that at least the stories about Aiko-chan’s height were not exaggerated. The Amber haired girl was easily the tallest kid in her grade.

“She’s going to singing practices with models like – every other day and she’s learning to be a model too!” the starstruck daughter ranted on.

“I suppose she’ll be an Idol too, right?” the mother chided.

“Huh?” the daughter didn’t miss her mother’s sarcasm. She sounded hurt as she asked, “You… you don’t believe me?”

“Oh,” the mother knelt next to her daughter so she could look into her eyes and told her, “I believe that someone told you these things and that you believe them. But these stories about singing and modeling and working for the Ministry of Health and working with foreigners… Don’t you think that is all just a bit much for a girl that’s still in Elementary School?”

“Um...” the daughter was thinking about what her mother said, when there was a sudden commotion around Aiko-chan.

“DEENA-CHAN!” the ecstatic, yet clear voice pealed off the walls as the energetic streak of long amber hair bounded into the arms of the platinum blond giantess in the military uniform. Dozens of children and several adults watched in awe as the giantess easily plucked the girl out of the air in mid-flight and brought her into a doting hug.

Mother and daughter watched in awe as the giantess greeted the teacher and accepted Aiko-chan’s backpack. She also took a few moments to greet a few of Aiko-chan’s classmates before turning to leave. Although Aiko-chan was taller than any of her classmates and even taller than anyone else in her grade, the giantess walked away carrying her young friend in one arm like a normal sized adult would carry an infant.

“Um… about not believing the stories,” the mother said as she watched Aiko-chan depart with the giant foreigner, “never-mind.”

.

“What’s going on? We don’t have a voice class today, do we?” Aiko-chan asked after she and Deena climbed into the front seats of the big black vehicle and got their seat-belts on.

“We’re going to pick up Suzume-chan and Umeki-chan from their Middle School and meet everyone else over at Ami’s house.” Deena told her young friend, “Yuri-chan says something exciting is happening!”

.

**Monday afternoon, October 26 – Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

Yukiko was finishing up a meeting with the contractors, leaders of the maintenance teams, and her trusted foremen when her personal assistant quietly entered the room and passed her a note. Yukiko didn’t glare at her assistant for interrupting the meeting. She knew that everyone in her office was aware of how displeased a frivolous interruption could be, so she knew that this would have to be something important. She waited until the contractor in charge of the kitchen and restaurant rebuild was finished with his report before glancing down at the note.

_From: Koigakubo Yuri – They lost the auditorium. Wedding may be canceled._

Yukiko thought for only a moment before deciding. She looked around the room and hoped that what she was about to do wouldn’t screw anything up too much. The rebuild work had been going amazingly well and all projects were ahead of schedule. The prudent action would be to stay the course, but she just couldn’t do that. Not this time.

“All right everyone, thank you for your hard work and your time.” Yukiko stood to further indicate that the meeting was over. A few in the room were surprised, Yukiko was a stickler for details and usually had a few pointed questions after all the reports were in. “Natsuko. Haruko. Could you stay for a moment?”

Natsuko and Haruko were Yukiko’s younger sisters. As the rebuild of this hotel had been Yukiko’s project, they too had been given tasks to prove their worth. Unfortunately, their own projects had been miserable failures that had been so complete – they had each come to the conclusion that they had been sabotaged by one of the other sisters. Regardless of whether it was sabotage, incompetence, or just bad luck, they had believed that the rest of the family would see them as failures, or even outcasts after their losses. They had been stunned, and a little suspicious, when they were called by their older sister, Yukiko. She had told them an interesting story about an amazing young man, his dynamic mother, and their impressive friends. She had been particularly taken by the boy’s mother whom she referred to as the greatest Onee-chan in the world. Then, in the eyes of her younger sisters, Yukiko did two unexpected and incredible things that had left both of the sisters speechless. First, she apologized to both of them for not being a better onee-chan herself. Then, she asked them to come join her in her project. That had been almost two months ago and in that time, Yukiko had allayed her sister’s suspicions, doubts, and fears.

“Haruko,” she called out to her youngest sister after all but the three of them had cleared the room, “Where are we on the Grand Ballroom?”

“Grand Ballroom?” Haruko was puzzled. For the briefest moment she wondered if this might be some kind of trick to make her look bad, but Yukiko had not treated her like that before, “Electrical, plumbing, and safety are done in there. Cosmetic work remains but we pulled the crews out of there to concentrate on other areas.”

“All right, I know this sounds sudden, but I want you to turn over everything else you are handling to Natsuko and I want you to have the Grand Ballroom ready for a royal wedding by the end of the month.” Yukiko said to Haruko.

“End of the month… you mean, the end of November?” Haruko balked.

“No, the end of this month.” Yukiko stated.

“In five days?” Haruko gaped.

“Yes.” Yukiko answered, then turned to the other sister, “Natsuko, your primary goal is to make sure Haruko has whatever and whoever she needs for her to complete her task. Your secondary goal is the entrance lobby and the publicly accessible places.”

“What’s going on?” Natsuko asked. The sudden change in direction was making her suspicious and she did not want to give up the feeling of trust that had been slowly building between herself, Haruko, and Yukiko. “What’s the big secret?”

“Huh?” Yukiko only now noticed the looks of concern on her younger sister’s faces. Yukiko handed the note over to Natsuko and said, “There is no secret. We have a chance to help Onee-chan.”

“We are doing all we can to help you.” Haruko said.

“Not me.” Yukiko told them, “ _The Onee-chan_ that inspired me to be a better sister to both of you. The best Onee-chan in the world. We will be doing this for her.”

“This is the Onee-chan with the amazing son? The one that you tell so many stories about?” Natsuko asked.

“That’s right.” Yasuko answered.

“If he is so amazing, why don’t you marry him?” Haruko asked.

“I won’t claim that the thought didn’t cross my mind,” Yukiko laughed, “but he has not yet graduated from High School, so he might be just a bit young for me.”

“Then let Haruko marry him.” Natsuko offered.

“Hey!” Haruko objected.

“If I could arrange it, I would.” Yukiko smiled at her youngest sister and told her, “And even if it were an arranged marriage, I have no doubt that you would fall madly in love with him.”

Haruko swallowed hard but said nothing. Her sister had said it so earnestly that she wondered if it might be true after all.

“But I’m afraid it isn’t possible.” Yukiko told her sisters something she had not previously revealed to them before, “We will be setting the Grand Ballroom up for the wedding of that amazing young man and Kawashima Ami.”

“What!” both of her sisters gaped.

“Is she finally coming out of hiding?” Haruko asked excitedly.

“Kawashima Ami was never in hiding. She was in High School.” Yukiko explained. Yukiko had not been aware that her youngest sister was a fan of Ami’s.

“But,” Natsuko asked, “I thought that was just a cover story?”

“It was not a cover story after all.” Yukiko told them, “I know this because she stayed here in August when The Onee-chan was here and we… we became friends.”

“Eh?” both younger sisters gaped.

“And since she will be here with her friends and family, there is one other important thing that you should know.” Yukiko leaned across the desk and put on the most serious face she had as she told her younger sisters, “Everything you know about Kurosawa Hisako is probably wrong. She is, in fact, Kawashima Ami’s best friend.”

“What!” both sisters seemed frozen in disbelief.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to make a call.” Yukiko said as she picked up her desk phone.

The stunned younger sisters bowed and hurried out of the room. They had a lot to do if they wanted to meet their older sister’s deadline. The door to Yukiko’s office was closing when they heard how their sister greeted this _amazing young man_ that she liked to talk about so much…

“Ryuuji you insufferable bastard! Did you forget about me? What the hell is wrong with you?” Yukiko’s clearly aggravated voice echoed off the walls of her office as she yelled into her phone.

“I thought you might call.” Ryuuji sighed.

“You what?” Yukiko couldn’t believe he had just said that.

“Who told you, Yasuko or Yuri-sensei?” Ryuuji asked.

“That’s not important!” Yukiko was impressed that he had figured out so much, but she wasn’t going to give up her source so easily. “I want to know why you didn’t call me first.”

“Friends should not be burdensome to their friends.” Ryuuji tried. He had a pretty good idea that she wouldn’t accept this but it was really the only excuse he had. Following his usual practice when getting home from school, he turned toward the kitchen, but Nanako and Hisako were already there and had already started preparing something.

Ami knew what this call would be about and chose not to interrupt it, but she also wanted to take care of Ryuuji too. Since he wasn’t needed in the kitchen, she decided to take care of the wet clothes he was wearing. While he continued his conversation on his cell phone, she took his free hand and guided him upstairs.

“Don’t give me that!” Yukiko seemed even more upset that Ryuuji would use that excuse, “When you are burdened, the first people you should come to should be your friends.”

“Well,” Ryuuji wondered if he could argue that technically, family should be first and friends second… but that would be splitting hairs. He knew that his mother wouldn’t have any contacts that might find them a decent place in time, but he had considered calling his grandparents and Ami’s mom. There was a fair chance that either of them could come up with something nice… but just not in time. Time was the big problem.

Ami had maneuvered Ryuuji into the bedroom and helped him out of his damp Jacket. As she hung the jacket up, she realized that anything else would be problematic since he was still talking on his phone.

“Well what?” Yukiko demanded. Sitting in her office, she was twisting the phone cord around her finger as she waited for Ryuuji to come to his senses. She knew that her hotel was the inevitable conclusion, but she also knew how protective Ryuuji was of his friends… and how stubborn he could be.

“I know what you are trying to do with that hotel.” Ryuuji pulled out his only meaningful argument, “Has the test been completed? Has the Yamada family come to a decision?”

Walking back toward Ryuuji, still standing in the middle of the room, Ami spotted the blue-tooth ear pieces that were matched to their phones. Since they weren’t allowed to be used in school, they were on their charging bases and ready to go. Ami smiled as she though of just how far she could take this if she could get Ryuuji to let go of his phone.

“No,” Yukiko admitted, “the test concludes at the beginning of Golden Week, next year.”

“Yamada-san, you know how much I want you to succeed.” Ryuuji told her as he felt Ami pressing a blue-tooth device into his ear. In moments, the device had synced with the phone and he let Ami take the phone away to put it on it’s charging base. Going back to concentrating on his conversation, he said, “My greatest concern is that I might cause you to change your plans and put a strain on your rebuilding efforts. I do not want you to lose your fight and always wonder if it might be because of… me.”

“Baka!” Yukiko barked, “I may not have won the title to head the family yet, but I am the head of this hotel! It’s up to me do decide where we are in the rebuilding efforts and what is and is not worth taking a chance on.” Then, reflecting on all that Ryuuji had just said, she stood up and yelled into the phone, “And where do you get off calling me _Yamada-san_ , eh? I thought we were better friends than that!”

“I’m sorry!” Ryuuji could tell that Yukiko was truly upset, and his current course seemed to be making it worse. Peripherally, Ryuuji noticed that Ami was quietly taking his rain-damp clothes off of him while he continued his conversation. Hoping to give Yukiko something less anger-inducing to talk about, Ryuuji asked, “Yukiko-chan, if I may ask. How is the reconstruction coming along?”

“Trying to change the subject?” Yukiko asked suspiciously.

“Not at all,” Ryuuji countered to Yukiko, as Ami led him into the adjoining bathroom, “If I were to consider asking a favor of this magnitude, that would be an appropriate question to lead with.”

“I suppose.” Yukiko sat down again. She didn’t let it show in her voice yet, but she was quite pleased that Ryuuji was now going down the path that she desired, and that he had called her _Yukiko-chan_. It was not quite the familiar and endearing _Yuki-chan_ that his mother and model friends called her, but it was a good step. Picking up her latest notes she told him, “In my opinion, we are ahead of schedule. In terms of rooms, the top half of the building is complete. All of the elevators are now working. The public areas on the bottom floors, the Grand Ballroom, and the restaurant will be finished by Friday… Saturday at the latest.”

“Wow,” Ryuuji really was impressed. As nice as the penthouse that they had stayed in was, he did remember the poor state that much of the rest of the hotel was in just a few months ago. “You’ve really got a lot done since August. I am impressed. Did you get some additional help?”

Ami guided Ryuuji into the bathroom and had him sit on the shower stool while she got the water to the right temperature and prepared to wash his back.

“Thank you.” Yukiko felt tingly after hearing Ryuuji’s complement. She almost chastised herself for getting all giddy over a complement from a high school boy… but it was Ryuuji, so… “I do have some additional help. You remember I mentioned that my two younger sisters had already met with defeat in their trials?”

“Yes.” Ryuuji tried to keep his voice even as he felt the soapy sponge and Ami’s delicate fingers washing his back and arms.

“I invited them to join me here and help with my hotel rebuild.” Yukiko told him, “Judging by how competent they have been around here, I am tempted to believe their stories of sabotage.”

“They are that good?” Ryuuji asked as he stood so that Ami could wash the rest of him.

“They are.” Yukiko admitted, “And I have come to trust them. It is because I was able to count on them that I was able to come along on the recent Hot Springs vacation with you.”

“That’s great!” Ryuuji was truly pleased to hear this. From previous conversations with Yukiko, he knew that her relationships with her older sisters was cold, or even adversarial – and that she had always been distant with her younger sisters. He asked her, “So, will you be sharing the victory if you win then?”

Ami used the sprayer to rinse all the soap off of Ryuuji and guided him over to the bath.

“No,” Yukiko admitted, “I told them when I made the offer that this is still my project. But I also let them know that I would not forget anyone that helped me, and that I would never neglect my little sisters… well, never again anyway.”

“And they believed you? Just like that?” Ryuuji asked.

Ami got into the over-sized soaking tub with Ryuuji and, instead of facing him, she backed into him until her head was resting on his shoulder. She smiled as Ryuuji’s arms naturally wrapped around her and held her hands in the warm water.

“They probably didn’t… at first.” Yukiko said, “They didn’t have a lot of other options at the time, so they probably figured it was worth a chance. But… that’s where we are now. So, Ryuuji…”

“I know… but I still don’t like the idea of putting this on you, when you have so much riding on your efforts.” Ryuuji tried one last time to give Yukiko a chance to back out.

“Ryuuji,” Yukiko sighed, “have you ever heard the line, _when you can’t run, you crawl, and when you can’t crawl…_ ”

“ _When you can’t do that, you find someone to carry you._ ” Ryuuji finished the quote. He knew that there were no more arguments to be made. At this point, any other course would be an insult to Yukiko. And, while sharing your burdens might be questionable, being needlessly insulting was never a good idea for a friendship. Ryuuji took a deep breath and asked, “Yukiko-chan…”

“Yes.” Yukiko said firmly before Ryuuji could say another word.

“Thank you very much, Yukiko-chan.” Ryuuji said softly, “In the future, I promise to be a better friend.”

“You do that,” Yukiko smiled, “and say hello to everyone for me. I’ll be in touch soon about the details.”

.

 _Run. Crawl. Carry…_ Ryuuji thought about the conversation with Yukiko as he hugged the responsive body in front of him. _But there’s something else, isn’t there? Sometimes, all you have to do is walk._ He hugged Ami a little tighter as he thought, _Some day we may need to run, crawl, or carry, but until then, I will walk the same path as you._

.

Refreshed and dressed, Ryuuji and Ami came down for dinner to find all of their friends had gathered.

“If this keeps up, I'm going to need a bigger house.” Ami commented.

“I guess that's what happens when you're popular.” Ryuuji said.

“Hey,” Ami elbowed Ryuuji lightly in the ribs, “They're here to see you too. Don't go blaming all of this on me.”

Ryuuji was not used to thinking about having friends and it was hard to grasp having so many, but he knew Ami was right. He didn't believe it at first, but having it spelled out for him time and again by the likes of the Major, Hisako, and of course, Ami herself… had worn down his reluctance. _I have friends! I wish Kitamura could be here now to see this. He always encouraged me and said I could make friends._ But now was not the time for reminiscing. Ryuuji needed to let them all know what was going on. There would be bad news and good news, but he suspected his friends could handle the changes.

“All right, there's been a change in plans…”

.

**Tuesday afternoon, October 27 – Ohashi High School**

* * *

Yuri had sent Ryuuji and Ami off to help proctor an exam for a first year class since their instructor was resting in the nurses office. After all, it wasn’t just students that had been affected by the recent Pandemic. This was a ruse, however. As soon as Noto let her know that Ryuuji and Ami were safely away, she called the classes attention.

“Class, I have a question to ask you.” Yuri waited until everyone was looking up at her, “I would like to put together a nice surprise for Ryuuji and Ami. Is there anyone in this class that will have a problem with keeping a secret from them?”

She gave them a minute to think about it, but it looked like everyone was willing to play along.

“All right then, Noto…” Yuri watched as Noto and Maya started passing out permission slips. “I know this is short notice, but who wants to go on a field trip to Tokyo… this coming weekend?”

“What?” the whole class gaped in happy surprise.

.

**Thursday evening, October 29 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

Ryuuji had been pacing the bedroom in his silky black pajamas with the red and gold dragons, for almost an hour. He was on the phone with Yukiko, and most of his conversation had been trying to cheer her up. Although she had warned him that this might be the case, it still was a blow to her that she could not have her hotel, and all the other preparations that had to be made, ready in time for a Saturday wedding. Apparently, Yukiko had been under the impression that this date meant a lot to Ami, so calming her down and letting her know that Ami was really not upset… had been a chore. Eventually, he had succeeded and the final preparations were agreed upon. After ending the call, he turned to is fiancé and was glad to see her smiling.

“So, November first?” Ami asked. She was sitting up in bed and had been pretending to study while Ryuuji was on the phone with Yukiko.

“Yeah,” Ryuuji apologized, “I’m sorry I couldn't get Halloween for you.”

“No, that’s okay.” Ami threw back the blanket for him to crawl in, “In fact, it might be better.”

“Oh?” Ryuuji was ready to hear some good news.

“November first has a couple of interesting holidays associated with it.” Ami said as she put her book away and snuggled down into Ryuuji’s side, “It’s known as _All Saints’ Day_ in some places. It’s called _Day of the Innocents_ in other places. And here in Japan, it is the _Self-Defense Forces Commemoration Day_. What do you think?”

“I’ve heard of _All-Saints Day_ and SDF day, but what is _Day of the Innocents_ about?” Ryuuji asked.

“It’s part of _El Dia de los Muertos._ ” Ami recalled from what she had just looked up.

“And what is that?” Ryuuji asked.

“It translates as _Day of the Dead_ and looks like a Christian and Aztec version of our _Obon_.” Ami told him.

“ _Day of the Dead_ …” Ryuuji was not one to believe in omens, but getting married on a holiday with a name like that, sounded as if he was intentionally tempting fate.

“Hey,” Ami reminded him, “It’s also called _All Saints’ Day_ , so relax. Besides, we’ll be remembering it as an entirely different holiday anyway.”

“Huh?” Ryuuji prompted.

“Our anniversary, baka!” Ami said with mock exasperation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **nizakana** : simmered seasonal fish
> 
>  **dashi** : 'Japanese Sea Stock' is a simple broth made from dried kelp (kombu) and fish flakes
> 
>  **fukurou** : literally “Owl”. There are two ways to write fukurou in Japanese – one of them means 'luck' and the other means 'no hardship' or 'no suffering' so, the owl has come to be a symbol of luck and protection against suffering and hardship.


	33. Best Halloween Party Ever

**Friday afternoon, October 30 – Ohashi High School**

* * *

A somber pall had fallen over almost every Middle School and High School in Japan. There were a few prefectures that weren't hit as badly with student absences as others, but they were so rare that local news reporters covered their cultural festivals. Unfortunately, as expected, Ohashi High School was one of the schools that was not so lucky. Things had been getting steadily better but there was still an absentee rate of thirty percent and the maintenance problems had yet to be addressed. Because of this, there would be no Cultural Festival, no classrooms set up as maid café's, no haunted houses, no food stands, no performances… The somber pall had come to Ohashi High School as well.

Except, it seemed, for Classroom 3-C. The classroom appeared tense but excited about something. Ryuuji kept going over his checklist of things that still needed to be done and Ami was daydreaming about the final alterations that Nanako planned to make to her wedding dress. So focused on their thoughts were they, that they didn't notice their classmates looking away whenever they glanced up. Each of the classmates were trying their best not to look suspicious and all of them were failing miserably at it. Koigakubo Yuri regretted telling them about the plan in advance, but it couldn't be helped. They would need to have their permission forms filled out and they would all need time to get ready for the trip.

As their teacher, Yuri had done all she could to simplify things for her students. They wouldn't need to worry about formal attire, the classmates could wear their school uniforms to the ceremony, and that would be fine. All they had to do was get themselves ready and be at the train station on time. As their teacher, she had been nervously fretting about the students being able to keep to the schedule. What if someone was late? What if someone got lost? She desperately wanted to go over the routine once more to make sure her students understood every instruction, but with Ryuuji and Ami in the classroom with her, that simply wasn’t possible. She was trying to think of another reason to send them out of the room together without raising their suspicions, when Nanako saved her.

“Sensei?” Nanako called out patiently, but from the looks on the other student’s faces, she must have called out several times before Yuri noticed.

“Ah… yes, Kashii-san?” Yuri felt too formal using Nanako’s last name now that they had become friends, but since they were still in school, it couldn’t be helped.

“I know it is a lot to ask,” Nanako said sweetly, “but if my grade on the last exam was okay, could I be excused with Ryuuji and Ami to go home early?”

“Ryuuji and Ami?” Yuri blushed when she realized that she just reflexively called them by their familiar first names in front of the class.

“Yes,” Nanako took no notice of the familiarity gaffe as she answered, “I’m starting to get tired and I still have the final alterations to make on Ami’s wedding dress to finish this evening.”

“I see… well,” Yuri pulled out Nanako’s exam and went over it quickly. Nanako had always been a reliable student, but her grades and test results were much improved recently. Then again, since the summer break, she had been studying with Ryuuji and Noto a lot, and those two boys were some of the brightest in the school. “Yes, I think you could leave early today.”

“Sensei!” Haruta jumped up with his hand raised. He was far too excited and way too optimistic though.

“On the other hand,” Yuri talked over the over-excited youth in the back of the class, “people that think the Meiji era started at the time of the dinosaurs… might be here all night.” Yuri raised her eyes from the other test paper she was holding and looked directly at Haruta as he withered back into his desk.

“Awww, sensei!” Haruta moaned while the rest of the class laughed at their comic routine.

.

The afternoon was nice as the three friends walked to Ami’s house. There was a bit of a breeze that tousled hair and wafted skirts, but it was not too cool and the light puffy clouds in the sky looked like happy cotton balls that made no threats of drizzle or rain. Nanako enjoyed walking behind her two friends that were soon to be married. She wished she could capture the feeling she got while she watched them walk in and out of the pools of dappled sunlight as the puffy wind-blown clouds passed overhead. They were walking closer now than they had been before and they held hands without thinking about it. That they were in love was a given. Nanako had noticed Ami’s attraction to Ryuuji since the previous year. She had always made it look like she was critiquing him, criticizing him, or just plain picking on him. But, Nanako had noticed, it was always _him_. There was no other guy that rated her attention like Ryuuji did. Even her childhood friend Kitamura, was only ever a friend to her. At the time, Nanako had considered telling Maya and maybe the two of them could help Ami to… But no, it would not have worked. Back then, Ami was still using that weird airhead persona that did nothing but disgust Ryuuji. And, of course Ryuuji was so stuck on Minori and Taiga that he didn’t notice anyone else's affections.

_Taiga…_

Nanako wondered what had ever happened to Taiga. She had effectively taken herself out of the equation before the end of their second year and no-one had heard from her since. Ryuuji, who she was supposed to be so in love with that she was willing to run away and elope, and Minori who was supposed to be her best friend ever… neither of them had heard a peep from the missing Palm Top Tiger. _But, perhaps that was a good thing._ Nanako thought to herself. _How badly would things get messed up if she came back now? How many hopes and dreams would be dashed. How many lives would be ruined if she came back and made Ryuuji hurt all over again? No, Taiga went away to get her act together… to prove herself to herself… or something like that. No matter what the excuse had been: as messed up as Taiga was, either of those goals should take a very long time to complete._ Nanako comforted herself that there should be no last minute interruption to worry about. _Still, a quick visit to a shrine or a lucky talisman wouldn’t be a bad idea either._

The three friends suddenly heard the sound of running feet overtaking them. Nanako turned to see… Hisako closing on them very quickly. Nanako smiled as the thought came to her, _Speaking of lucky talismans…_

“Hey!” Hisako called out, “What’s the big idea leaving me behind?” She seemed genuinely upset.

Nanako didn’t immediately answer with words. She faced her approaching girlfriend and smiled as she opened her arms wide. In seconds, she was swooped up off her feet and held in a tight hug by those strong arms she loved so much. Her head was on Hisako’s shoulder and she nestled her face into the raven hair where she could get her lips close to Hisako’s ear. “You have been doing wonderful work in the nurses office. Word is getting around that Kurosawa Hisako was there to help this or that person when they didn’t even have the strength to stand. When people are hurt or sick and feeling their worst, they see you coming and they know they are going to be okay. You give people hope, confidence, and courage… just by being there. Did you know that?”

“No… I just,” Hisako stammered. Her face was still red, but not from anger any more. Nanako’s words were impossible. She thought that she had only ever inspired fear, loathing, and disgust. The most she had ever dared hope for was antipathy. “Nanako, the things you’re saying…”

“I did not leave you behind.” Nanako held Hisako a little tighter around the neck as she told her, “I knew you would come find me when school was out and the nurse no longer needed your help. Are you sure you won’t be needed today?”

“No,” Hisako suddenly felt very stupid. Stupid for running all the way here to catch up with them. Stupid for thinking they had forgotten her. Stupid for feeling like she had been left behind. “The nurse has other help today. She knows that I am in the wedding party and she said I could leave early.”

“I’m glad she won’t be inconvenienced.” Nanako said, “I do like to have you to myself, but I also like hearing the wonderful things the rest of the school is saying about you. I don’t care about the rest of the world, or the rest of Japan, but at my school Kurosawa Hisako is a hero. I am so proud of you.” Nanako leaned in just a little more and kissed the tall model on the cheek.

Hisako stopped in her tracks and her eyes opened in disbelief. Her mouth hung ajar but she could say nothing.

“You can be everybody’s hero. I don’t mind that at all. In fact, I want that for you.” Nanako made her claim, “But I am a selfish girl, so you are my Hisako. Mine, and mine alone.”

“And… you are my Nanako.” Hisako held her smaller lover even more tightly.

“I will never leave you behind.” Nanako said tersely as tears came to her eyes, “Don’t you ever think that of me again!”

“I’m sorry, Nanako.” Hisako felt the body in her arms trembling, “I keep forgetting how wonderful you are. I’ll try not to ever think such things again. And… uh… I won’t ever leave you behind either!”

With smiles on their faces, Ami and Ryuuji had continued walking so that their friends could have the solitude of the empty street for a bit.

.

**Friday late afternoon, October 30 – Train Station**

* * *

Yuri was a mess. She had gone over the plan with the class as soon as she had seen Ryuuji, Ami, and Nanako leaving the school grounds. All of the signed field trip forms were collected. Most of the class would be going straight to the train station from the school and had stashed their overnight bags in an empty classroom. The other students said they lived close to the station so it wouldn’t be a problem to be there in time. Still, Yuri was becoming frantic as she waited at the station for the last six students to arrive. Minori was there to help her, but other than her, all of her most reliable students would be traveling to Tokyo with the wedding party the next day. She felt a little better when she saw two of her students walking toward the station. Then she almost fell down the steps when she saw the five people that were just behind the familiar Ohashi High School uniforms.

Deena Walker was in civilian clothes but she approached the train station with all the pride and confidence of the RAAF Corporal that she was. She looked even taller since she was holding little Aiko-chan’s hand. Suzume and her school friend Umeki were walking together and wearing their Kyujosho Middle School uniforms. And behind the four girls was the Major. He too was in civilian clothes, but there would be no mistaking who he was. Many in the class were amazed when their sensei suddenly launched herself into the arms of the big foreigner. For many of them, it was their first time to see the man that was engaged to their sensei. For a few other students, it was their first time to see Aiko-chan… the girl that reminded them all of Taiga. Some phones were lifted to take pictures, which made many of the other classmates nervous. They remembered all too well, the stern lecturing they got from Yuri-sensei not that long ago.

Suzume wiped their fears away when she announced that she and Aiko-chan were modeling and singing with Ami and Hisako, so she and Aiko-chan would be happy to let them take some pictures if they wanted. The two girls were happy to go through some poses for their friend’s classmates. They also ended up answering a lot of questions about what it was like to be a model or a singer and if they were going to try to be idols too. Suzume’s answer stunned most of the class.

“That sounds like fun, but it’s up to Ryuuji-sama of course.” she said innocently.

“Ryuuji… Takasu Ryuuji?” one of the classmates asked.

“Yes,” Aiko-chan answered, “he is our manager so it’s all up to him.”

“Takasu Ryuuji is managing your professional entertainment careers?” another student asked in disbelief.

“Not just us,” Suzume told them, “he is the manager for Ami-senpai and Hisako-senpai too!”

“WHAT!” many stunned students asked.

“Class 3-C of Ohashi High School and everyone traveling with them,” a powerful voice interrupted the question and answer session. Students looked over to see the Major holding a clipboard and addressing them, with their sensei leaning into him with a dreamy look on her face. “According to my fiancé's notes, everyone is now here. Our train will be arriving in less than ten minutes, so if you will make sure you have everything you brought and follow Corporal Walker…” the Major aimed the clipboard in his hand to indicate the tall platinum blond Australian girl, “Your Yuri-sensei and I will bring up the rear to make sure no-one gets left behind.” The Major was concerned that there might be some resistance to following the orders of a stranger, but he found out quickly that the entire class had heard a lot about him even if he hadn’t met most of them yet.

After they got moving, the Major chuckled to himself. It was interesting to see how the class reacted to these newcomers. The boys were all too eager to grab their bags and follow close behind the girls that were in the lead. Aside from the tall blond Australian, there was the young girl that looked like a slightly bigger version of Taiga, the other tall model with the long red hair and the sea-green eyes, and her glasses-wearing friend in the matching Kyujosho Middle School uniform. Meanwhile, the high school girls all lagged toward the rear of the procession and wanted to be closer to the romantic pair of their sensei and her fiancé.

 _Well, as long as no-one gets lost, I suppose this is okay._ The Major had been concerned when his girlfriend asked him to accompany her and help with the students, but as long as Corporal Deena was there to deal with the boys, it looked like this job wouldn’t be any problem at all.

.

**Saturday morning, October 31 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

“Wow, what a beautiful day!” Ami said as she stood on the veranda and looked out across the neighborhood in the direction of the rising sun.

Ryuuji was still in the bedroom and looked out through the open French doors to see Ami's picturesque body. The morning sunlight shone through the thin nightgown she was wearing, turning it into nothing more than a glowing halo around her naked silhouette. He thought about telling her, but he was the only one on the third floor at the moment and he already knew what she would say. _This show is only for you._

“Ryu-chan!” his mother called out to him from the stairwell.

“Yeah?” he answered without taking his eyes off his soon-to-be bride.

“Noto-kun is here with the car.” she called back.

“I'll be right down.” he answered her, but walked out onto the veranda with Ami. Moving up behind her, he wrapped one arm around her waist as he handed her a coffee in a white porcelain demitasse and kissed her on the neck.

Ami said nothing in response, but moaned from the kiss and covered his hand with her own.

“I'm going down to make breakfast now.” Ryuuji asked, “Do you want me to send the girls up?”

“Love 'em and leave 'em.” Ami turned to Ryuuji and showed him a pout, “Is that how you are, Ryuuji?”

“Huh?” Ryuuji was caught off guard by her sudden playfulness.

“I'm kidding,” Ami giggled at Ryuuji's confused reaction, “yes, please send the girls up. I want to do one final fitting before we head out and leave all Nanako’s sewing supplies behind.”

“Fine,” Ryuuji looked away as he warned her, “but don't let Nanako talk you into any more modifications! The dress looks great the way it is now.”

“Why Ryuuji, I never knew you were so conservative.” Ami teased.

“I'm not!” Ryuuji sputtered, “But that one sketch she showed us would make Dejah Thoris blush!”

“I thought it was… cute.” Ami challenged him, “Are you saying that you wouldn't want to see me in something like that?”

“Sure I would,” Ryuuji reposted, “But would you want to wear that in front of all your friends and family?”

“Well,” Ami couldn't help but blush. Her mind pictured her in the skimpy and very revealing outfit in front of her classmates and it was just too much. “All right, you win. I promise to be good.”

Ryuuji was about to leave the room when Ami stopped him with a question, “What's the deal with the demitasse? Are you putting me on a coffee diet?”

“Do you really want a big cup of coffee before a long train ride?” Ryuuji answered her with another question.

“Oh right,” Ami looked at the coffee like it might betray her at any moment, “good thinking.”

.

As he descended the stairs, Ryuuji ran into Nanako and Yasuko on their way up. Each of them was carrying a box the size of an ordinary suitcase.

“Nanako, those aren't more wedding dress designs, are they?” Ryuuji asked suspiciously.

“Oh no,” Nanako smiled, “these are for after the wedding.”

 _After the wedding?_ Ryuuji paused on the stairs and wondered why Ami would need a special outfit to wear after the wedding. A snippet of a song his mother used to sing helped him figure out what was going on, _After the Wedding comes the Honeymoon…_

“Nanakooooooo!” Ryuuji yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Riotous laughter was the only response.

.

**Saturday evening, October 31 – Tokyo: Le Dauphin Hotel**

* * *

“It really looks nice now!” Ryuuji said as he entered the main lobby. The Hotel van had delivered them from the train station to the hotel's main entrance and they had both been awed at the difference a few months had made to the rebuilding efforts.

Huge bronze and silver dolphins hung suspended from the heights of the ceiling above a moving sculpture of blue and white crystal that resembled ocean swells and crashing waves. The lighting was working and the room had been repainted in a seascape motif. Comfortable leather chairs were clustered around small tables and there was a small café at one end of the lobby. A few workmen were seen walking through the elegant room with their tool boxes, but that was the only sign that there was still work going on. Ryuuji heard a bell sound and looked up to see one of the lobby elevators open up. He was glad that they had the elevators working now, but he would fondly remember the summer when they were using the utility elevator to get to the penthouse.

“Welcome! I am Yamada Haruko. I will be…”

“Oh my gods, you're so cute!” Yasuko rushed forward and took the surprised girl's hands. She was looking the poor girl over as if she were a new present.

“Onee-chan,” Ami sounded irked but was smiling as she said, “If you go around turning every cute girl into your little sister, I'm gonna get jealous and think that you don't love me as much.”

“Hey guys,” Ryuuji said quietly while his mother pouted, “while Haruko-san may be Yukiko-san's little sister, she graduated from Tokyo University this year.”

“Really?” “Wow, congratulations!”

“Thank you, Ryuuji-sama.” Haruko blushed as much because of the nice things that Ryuuji said as because she naturally called him by the name that she had heard her sister use when she talked about him. He certainly didn't have the looks of a dream mate, but she could already tell that her sister had not exaggerated about his character. For a moment, she wondered why he knew what university she went to and when she graduated. Then she remembered that he was one of her older sister's good friends, so… yeah. _He probably knows a lot about me. When onee-chan gets comfortable_ _with someone_ _, she does like to talk._

“The lobby looks fantastic,” Ryuuji said as he watched the slow movements of the dolphin sculptures in the center of the room.

“Thank you, that was one of my additions.” Haruko commented as she too looked up at the sculpture with pride. “Now then, would you like to see what we've put together in the ball room, or would you like to get things put away in your rooms first?”

.

Ryuuji, Noto, and Hisako were standing with Yamada Haruko and letting their girlfriends run wild in the grand ballroom. Yasuko was running wild with excitement too… in fact, she may have been the most excited of them all.

“Your sister has a lot of energy.” Haruko commented.

“Indeed she does.” Ryuuji smiled at the common mistake.

“That's his mother.” Hisako offered in a whisper.

“Oh, right! My apologies, Ryuuji-sama.” Haruko bowed slightly, “It is just a little confusing when she looks so young and everyone is calling her _Onee-chan_.”

“It's okay,” Ryuuji smiled to her, “I'm used to it.”

“Has she always been like this?” Haruko asked.

“She hasn't always been called Onee-chan, but she has always been very energetic, and… very caring.” Ryuuji said with some pride.

“It makes me wish that she had been my onee-chan.” Haruko said as she watched the happy woman throw her arms around the girl with long purple hair and heard both of them squeal in excitement.

“How is your relationship with Yukiko-san coming along?” Ryuuji casually asked as he took off his mirror-shades and admired the setup of the grand ballroom.

“It's…” Haruko caught herself before she answered. That was a rather personal question after all. He was Yukiko's friend and he might be doing this to get information for her. An eerie feeling had her wondering if he was really as nice as he had seemed.

“Did Yukiko-san ever tell you about the time she suspected me of being a spy for one of her sisters?” Ryuuji asked.

“Ulp… She might have mentioned something about that.” Haruko answered. The eeriness worsened when his last question had her wondering if he could read minds too.

“I understand if you don't trust me yet. After all, we just met. But there is something you should know.” Ryuuji turned and looked directly at the youngest of the Yamada sisters with his scary sanpaku eyes. He wasn’t wearing his mirror-shades and forgot just how much his eyes unnerved someone when he looked hard at them. He did notice that she seemed a bit uncomfortable facing him, but he pressed on and told her, “After Yukiko-san realized she could trust me, after she found out that Yasuko's charm and care are not an act, after she started calling her Onee-chan too… she thought about how her life had been with her own sisters and… her reflections filled her with regret.”

“Eh?” Haruko knew that her older sister had recently been warmer to her and to her sister Natsuko, but she hadn’t detected such strong emotions as yet. As importantly, the dichotomy of such a warm and caring message coming from such a scary person had her wondering if any of this was real.

“She cried.” Ryuuji said plainly.

“What?” Haruko gaped. The bizarreness of situation worsened for Haruko. The cold looks of the person, but the warmth of his message. And now the unimaginable content of that message… it was inconceivable and yet… she believed him.

“She told me she could never forgive herself for not being there for you and her other younger sister.” Ryuuji explained.

“Natsuko.” Haruko offered with a hollow voice.

“All of the years that she was never there for you. All of the time that you could have been making memories that would last a lifetime… all those opportunities were lost.” Ryuuji continued, “She regrets all of that very deeply.”

“I… I didn't know.” Haruko gasped. “How do you know all of this?”

“Letters. Phone calls.” Ryuuji waved his hand, “The point of all this is that I will be gone in a few days, probably too soon for you to start to trust me. But please… please believe in your sister. She wants to build a real relationship with you, more than you know.”

“But… why?” Haruko had been dying to ask where her older sister's sudden interest in her younger sisters was coming from, ever since she got the unexpected phone call from her. And now, without having to pry or sneak, she would find out simply by asking? By… asking the man that looked so scary, yet seemed so warm. _Inconceivable! Don’t you dare taunt me like this dammit, tell me! Tell me why!_

“Why? Because she loves you.” Ryuuji turned back to watch Ami and Nanako while they fawned over flower arrangements.

 _She loves me? Yukiko loves me?_ Haruko was stunned. She had considered the possibility that it was all due to sisterly love for only a moment and dismissed it. She and her sisters had never been that close so it was unreasonable to think… _Can we really start building a relationship this late in our lives? Do I even want… Yes! I do want to try!_ She looked back up at Ryuuji's face and saw it differently now. _He's not so much scary as he is fierce… I think._

.

“Well?” Yukiko asked her youngest sister when she arrived in the small conference room that Yukiko was using for an office. The middle sister, Natsuko turned as well. She also wanted to hear what Haruko had to say about these people that they had heard so much about.

“Wow! I want Kawashima-san to be my friend. I want Yasuko-san to be my Onee-chan. And I want Ryuuji-sama to be my boyfriend.” Haruko paused for a few moments, “In short, they were all just as you said they would be.”

“Thank you, Haru-chan.” Yukiko smiled with a little pride and a great deal of satisfaction. Her new friends had been impressive back in August and it was good to hear that they still were. She was also glad to hear that her little sister had the same reaction to them that she did.

“How are the decorations coming along?” Natsuko asked the youngest sister.

“The work crews are putting on the finishing touches now.” Haruko said, “Your guests wanted to see it all before they went up to their rooms and they were very happy. I can't wait to see this ceremony.”

“ _Our_ guests!” Yukiko emphasized.

“Our guests.” Haruko acknowledged.

“Unfortunately, it will be a bittersweet ceremony for us.” Natsuko seemed a little saddened.

“How so?” Haruko's head popped up as she asked.

“If he is everything that the two of you say he is,” Natsuko pointed out, “after the ceremony, he will be out of our reach.”

“Not entirely.” Yukiko smiled, “Even if none of us can marry him, his future career is still undecided. He has not yet graduated from high school and he has all of college to think about his future. If you two will help me win the Yamada competition, I intend to make him aware of a promising career in Hotel and Restaurant Management. We may still have access to his talents!”

The two younger sisters smiled in agreement, but Haruko was left wondering about what Natsuko had said. She was stunned by how much her heart wanted to know what it would be like, to be Takasu Ryuuji's girl.

.

**Saturday evening, October 31 – California: JaAMS Engineering and Applied Sciences Building**

* * *

One of the graduate students that Sumire had been working with had found this room for her. It was an ordinary classroom, but it had been set up with video conferencing gear for remote class sessions. Since it was late on a Saturday night, it had been easy to get the room reserved as well. She had known that Kitamura’s best friend was soon to be married and decided to do something special for him. After contacting her old school, she had been put in contact with Kitamura's former teacher, Koigakubo Yuri. Through her, she was able to get in touch with Yamada Yukiko, and there she found a co-conspirator. There had been a few technical snags, but they had been worked out earlier in the week and now, everything was in readiness.

“I thought you wanted to go to a Halloween party?” Kitamura was dressed like a zombie in a tuxedo, and sounded confused as they headed toward the familiar Applied Sciences Building and away from the sounds of the students partying at the dormitories behind them.

“Oh, we are going to a party… of sorts.” Sumire smiled, “but this is one I know you will not want to miss.”

“Really?” Kitamura was surprised. Sumire didn’t usually go in for the party scene and he wondered what kind of party would interest her. Then again, she said it was something that _he_ would be interested in. He had to admit that his curiosity was peaked.

“Here you go,” Sumire stopped outside the men’s bathroom and pushed Kitamura toward the door, “Go wash off all the zombie stuff and come back looking nice in the tuxedo.”

“What?” Kitamura wanted to object. A friend in the arts department had done his zombie makeup and it looked really good. It would be a shame to wash it all off just before the party. But this was Sumire’s surprise for him and if it would make her happy… he smiled and walked into the bathroom.

.

When Kitamura emerged, he looked more dashing than usual in the tuxedo and Sumire discovered that she was staring it him. In the last week, she had taken him to a barber to do something about the general shagginess of his hair. His eyebrows were the same as they had always been and his eyes were the same dark green, but the tuxedo he was wearing now - and the change in his hair had made him almost unrecognizable to her. If it hadn’t been for his signature frame-less glasses, she would have had a hard time believing it was the same person.

“Is something wrong?” Kitamura asked after seeing Sumire’s uncharacteristically blank expression.

“No… nothing is wrong. You… You look very handsome.” Sumire stammered and blushed when she realized what she just said.

“Thank you,” Kitamura smiled, “you look very pretty yourself.”

“Hah!” Sumire turned away as she blushed hard. Strangely, she could stand a storm of hurtful descriptives like _cold_ , _distant_ , _harsh_ , _abrupt_ , and even _mean_. But compliments always got to her. She had not been called _pretty_ very often and it shook her up every time she heard it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the smile on Kitamura's face and she just knew that he enjoyed shaking her up like that.

“Sumire-chan?” Kitamura leaned over to see her face a little better.

“You...” Sumire aimed the remote control at the big screen in front of them and pushed a button, “You should be watching this.”

Kitamura turned to see what she thought he might be so interested in. The large monitor was split so that the left side showed a wide angle view of a large meeting room of some kind. The right side was showing a close-up view of a stage decorated with flower arrangements. There was no-one on the stage at the moment, but there was some activity on the wide view. There appeared to be several people in matching outfits. After a few moments, Kitamura realized that they were the school uniforms from his old high school. There weren't enough of them to be the whole school, or even the whole grade, but… Kitamura looked closer at a shaggy haired student and knew he couldn't be wrong. _That's Haruta, I'm sure of it! And those two near him are Noto and Maya. So, where are…_ His musings stopped when he realized what the stage was for.

“But…” Kitamura blinked, “The wedding isn't until…”

“Time Zones,” Sumire wore a prideful smile as she explained, “It's already tomorrow in Japan.” It wasn't often that Sumire was able to surprise Kitamura, but this time… this time was greatness.

.

**Sunday noon, November 01 – The Lobby at Le Dauphin Hotel, Tokyo**

* * *

Ryuuji stepped off the elevator in his tuxedo and was shocked. The lobby was full of people in the Ohashi High School winter uniform. He blinked once and realized that they were all from his class.

“Ah, Sensei!” Haruta cried out, “I think our surprise is blown.”

“Don't worry about that!” Yuri called out to all the students, “We are mostly here to surprise the bride anyway, so everyone please go to the ballroom and take your seats.”

Ryuuji wanted to ask Yuri what this was all about but another voice called out to him from the lobby.

“Ryuuji-sama!” called out the reporter that had previously interviewed all of them at the hotel before.

“Hello, I see you brought your photographer with you as well.” Ryuuji greeted him, “That’s good, will both of you please come with me.”

“Just a moment, I only got your message last night.” The reporter sounded a bit breathless, “What's going on?”

“Ami and I are getting married today. I thought you might want to be here for this.” Ryuuji smiled.

“What!” the reporter and his photographer both gaped.

“The same deal applies this time too.” Ryuuji warned him, “None of this can be released until the March issue, right?”

“Absolutely!” the reporter shook his head as if it were a bobble, “We have a deal. But… but this is just a play or some kind of rehearsal, right? Surely this isn’t the real wedding?”

“It is quite real,” Ryuuji assured him, “although there will be a publicly announced wedding after we graduate high school, this one is real and legal… and for the time being, it is private.”

“I understand,” the reporter remembered back to the interviews that he had with Ryuuji and Ami from just a few months ago. It had been vitally important to Ryuuji that Ami be able to finish her high school experience with her friends and not bet bogged down or dragged off to the celebrity circus. He also remembered the interview with Kurosawa Hisako and what her reaction had been when he pointed out that an earlier release could only benefit her career.

 _My trust had been betrayed so many times that I became the kind of person that doesn’t trust anyone. And since I didn’t trust anyone, no-one trusted me. But things are different now. Despite the things I have said and done, Ami has forgiven me. And… and I believe Ryuuji-sama is the kind of person I can trust. I was a useless person before and… and I may still be one. But I will trust in Ryuuji-sama’s plan. If he betrays me, I don’t know what I will do, but I will not be the one to ruin everything this time. I will not have that regret to live with._ Hisako had been adamant when she spoke to the reporter back in August.

The reporter wondered if Hisako still felt that way. From the looks of things, it appeared that she did. Following in Ryuuji’s wake and watching him as he walked confidently towards the ballroom, the reporter couldn’t help but smile. _You have done amazingly well young man. I’ll get a good story out of all of this whether you are the real deal or even if this is all an elaborate scam. In fact, the story would be a bigger splash if_ _you turned out to be a fraud_ _,_ _but_ _I hope it is real._ _I never cared for Kurosawa Hisako before that interview with her and now… now I hope with everything I believe in that you don’t let her down._

“Ah, one more thing,” Ryuuji stopped just in front of the ornate, six meter tall doors that were the main entrance to the ballroom, “Kawashima Anna will be granting you an interview after the wedding is over, and she will be discussing a change to the planned release.”

“Eh?” the thrill of getting an exclusive interview with Kawashima Anna was obliterated by the sudden revelation that their agreement was going to be modified.

“Don’t worry,” Ryuuji smiled, “you’ll like the changes she has planned. And, I just want you to know that Ami and I approve of anything the two of you agree to.”

“You must really trust your future mother-in-law.” the reporter observed.

“I trust both of you.” Ryuuji said it so matter-of-factly, no-one would suggest any guile behind the words.

“Th… thank you, Ryuuji-sama.” the reporter was so stunned with the pronouncement of trust, he found himself bowing to the teen without thinking about it.

Ryuuji barely noticed the reactions of the reporter and the photographer. He was checking the time on his phone and thinking of all the hastily made wedding plans that were coming together now. He didn’t feel anywhere near as confident as the reporter assumed him to be, and he didn’t even know if he was in the right place now. Just then, he heard the voice of someone coming to rescue him.

“Ryuuji-sama, there you are!” Yamada Haruko was wearing a headset and was apparently managing the ceremony, “If you’ll come with me, we are about ready to start.”

.

Ryuuji stood with his mother as the familiar music started playing. The ballroom looked wonderful; flower arrangements and ribbons adorned the walls and stage. Yukiko and her sisters had remade it into a beautiful cathedral for their western style wedding. That had been the agreement they had made with Kawashima Anna. This wedding would be in the western style, but the wedding in March, that would be arranged for public consumption, would be in the traditional Japanese style with full Kimono’s.

When her mother had initially laid out the plan, Ami started to balk but Ryuuji didn’t mind. Before Ami could object to her mother’s plans, Ryuuji laughed and proclaimed that he would never get tired of marrying Ami. Kawashima Anna noticed that her daughter’s stunned silence turned to a happy blush.

Ryuuji’s nerves were taut as he waited for the march to begin. _Is this really happening? Should I really be doing this? Is this the right thing to do? Am I too young to be making this decision after all?_ Ryuuji could feel the panic of a thousand doubts rising within him until he looked at the smiling and proud face of his mother. _What am I thinking? She raised me on her own from an even younger age._ Ryuuji felt the confidence coming back and looked around at his surroundings again. His classmates were there in their winter uniforms and all seemed happy for them. Some of the girls were even crying happy tears already. In the front row on his side, he saw that his grandmother and grandfather had made it out to see the wedding too. They both looked happy and there didn’t seem to be a doubt among them that Ryuuji wasn’t ready for this… or this was all a bit premature… or any number of other doubts.

Ryuuji’s nerves were calmer now. He was breathing better and his heart wasn’t hammering in his chest from panic any more. Looking back down at his mother and giving her hand a squeeze, he thought, _Thanks, mom._

.

Outside the ornate doors that were the main entrance to the ballroom, Ami saw someone walking up that she almost didn’t recognize.

“Ojisan!” she cried out at the unexpected arrival of her favorite uncle. He had been her favorite uncle since she was a little girl, when he stepped in to fill the void of her departed father. He worked at the talent agency so she had talked to him a lot recently, but she had not seen him since her middle school days. He still looked elegant and handsome and today he was sharply dressed in a tuxedo.

“You look fantastic, kitten!” he smiled as he took her hands.

“You look very handsome too!” Ami blushed a little at her uncle’s praise.

“Do you remember the promise I made to you years ago when we watched the princess wedding on television together?” her uncle reminded her, “When the bride entered the cathedral with her father and marched down the aisle in her pretty wedding dress…”

“You promised… you promised that you would be there to walk me down the aisle and…” Ami couldn’t continue. Her tears were running down her face and she was choked up. It had suddenly become so real to her. “I’m really doing this… You’re really here and I’m…”

“You are really getting married.” her uncle finished the emotional sentence. Because of his work at the agency, he knew a great deal about Ryuuji even if he had never met him in person. The kind of person that he believed Ryuuji to be was exactly the man that he would want for his favorite niece to marry. But, he had to ask the question and do his duty now, “Kitten, is this truly what you want?”

“Yes!” Ami stunned herself with how quickly and forcefully she answered the question.

“Well then,” her uncle smiled, “I am convinced that you have no doubts and I personally feel that Ryuuji is a wonderful fellow.” Her uncles eyes seemed to light up as he said, “So, let’s get this show on the road!”

Haruko said something into her microphone and in moments, whether inside or outside the ballroom, they could hear the change in the music.

“Ah!” Ami gasped. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized, _It’s time!_

.

**Saturday night, October 31 – California: JaAMS Engineering and Applied Sciences Building I**

* * *

Kitamura and Sumire had been joined by a few more friends. For the most part, they were the same friends that joined them for breakfast by the Japanese broadcast monitor. Some were Japanese students studying abroad like themselves, while others were there because of their friendships or because of their interest in Japanese culture. The two views on the monitors changed. Now, they could see the tall doors on the left and Ryuuji standing with his mother on the right.

The tall doors slowly opened and a girl with a beaming smile that could light up any room came through.

“AH!” both Kitamura and Sumire cried out. _Why is Taiga there!?_

“Wait,” Kitamura looked more closely at the happy girl that was spreading flower petals on the path that led to the groom, “that’s not Aisaka!”

“But…” Sumire remembered the terror of Aisaka Taiga all too well when the Palm Top Tiger came to exact her revenge on the girl who dared humiliate her beloved Kitamura. Sumire had held her own in that battle, but just barely.

“Her name is Aiko-chan and she is in elementary school. Takasu told me about her.” Kitamura could see the difference in the way the girl smiled and glided across the floor… as opposed to the lurching, stumbling, angry gait that Taiga always seemed to have.

“A relative?” Sumire wondered.

“Apparently not.” Kitamura explained, “She was in the same recovery room with one of our classmates at the hospital. She has a good singing voice so Takasu put her together with Ami and her model friends to see if they could be successful with music.”

“Seriously?” Sumire wondered, “Does that guy have a charmed life or what?”

“If you had seen him in the first half of the school year, you wouldn’t think so.” Kitamura remembered when Ryuuji was so depressed, the class genuinely worried that he might not make it from one day to the next. Day after day, for many weeks, it seemed that no amount of help or prayers would stop the downward spiral that was Ryuuji’s existence. Kitamura still felt a bit of guilt for running out on his friend to chase his own dream, but nothing he tried had helped. Nothing anyone tried had helped until Ami stepped in. She had a plan, she laid down the rules, and she did what no-one else could do. No matter how anything else turned out, he would always be grateful to her for saving the life of his best friend.

On the big monitor, the right hand view showed Ryuuji giving his mother a kiss as she left to take her place with her parents on the first row.

“Whoa, that’s not right.” one of their friends said.

“No kidding,” another spoke up, “why is he kissing some hottie right before he marries his fiancé?”

“That hottie,” Kitamura said with a mischievous grin, “is his mother.”

“What!” several voices chorused.

Kitamura would like to have enjoyed their shocked reactions, but he now watched as Hisamitsu Noto moved up to stand beside Ryuuji. _Of course, he would be the best man now._ It bothered Kitamura more than he liked to see someone else standing beside Ryuuji. _If I hadn’t left when I did… It should be me there… but I…_

Sumire could feel the anguish from Kitamura and she knew what was bothering him. If he hadn’t run off to chase her down, he would be his best friend’s best man right now. She squeezed his hand and leaned into his shoulder. _If it takes the rest of our lives, I will make sure you never regret coming for me, Kitamura Yusaku._

On the left side of the monitor, they watched as Haruta Koji walked in with a raven haired girl that was almost comically taller than him. In reality, she was only six centimeters taller, but with the stiletto heels she was wearing, she towered over him. Before anyone had a chance to make a comment, a tall blond man walked in wearing a uniform tuxedo with ribbons and shoulder-boards. Kitamura recognized the girl on his left arm as Kihara Maya, but he didn’t recognize the dark brown haired girl on his right.

“Isn’t that the girl that had a crush on you?” Sumire asked. There didn’t appear to be any malice in her voice, but Kitamura thought it best to be safe.

“She did for a while.” he told her, “But she is now engaged to Hisamitsu Noto… the best man.”

“Oh, good for her.” Sumire tried to sound sincere but she couldn't ignore her jealousy completely.

On the right hand screen, the brides maids and groomsmen took their places on the stage. Noto shook Ryuuji’s hand and left to take his place, and the music changed again.

“Oh my gods! There she is, and she’s so beautiful!” one of their friends called out. Everyone looked over to the left hand side of the screen and saw Ami in her beautiful wedding dress as she entered through the tall ornate doors. She was escorted by an older gentleman in a black and white tuxedo.

“I think that is her Uncle.” Kitamura pointed out, “Her father passed away some time ago.”

Sumire was about to ask why Kitamura would know so many details about the Kawashima family, when she remembered that he and Ami were childhood friends. _You were childhood friends with her._ _She is so beautiful._ _She is_ _even_ _a model now, and yet you chose me? Oh Kitamura, will I ever understand you?_

“I was expecting to see Kimono’s.” one of their friends observed, “This looks like a western style wedding.”

“It is,” Sumire explained, “ever since the eighties, when Japan got to watch the live broadcast of the English Princess wedding, western style weddings have been just as popular as traditional weddings with kimono’s.”

“But don’t worry,” Kitamura added, “they plan to have a traditional wedding in March after they graduate from High School. This ceremony is fairly private while the one in March will be announced to the public.”

The slow procession on the flower strewn red carpet ended with the uncle taking Ami’s hands and placing them in Ryuuji’s hands. The right hand camera was now focused on Ryuuji’s face and everyone in the room could tell, even with his looks, that he was very happy… at first. His expression rapidly changed to one of concern… then to fright as something happened to Ami.

.

**Sunday noon, November 01 – The Grand Ballroom at Le Dauphin Hotel, Tokyo**

* * *

Ryuuji was confused as the radiant smile on Ami’s face fell apart and her eyes rolled up. In a moment she was falling away from him, but he was able to grasp her arms and quickly pull her into his body before she crashed to the floor. Many people started to rush toward them but stopped when they heard a firm and unfaltering voice over the speakers.

“Let’s everybody calm down now.” The Major was at the microphone and Yuri had run up to join him since most of the people in the audience were her students. “I’m sure all of you have heard of a bride or a groom fainting at a wedding, so this is nothing unusual. Try to think of how embarrassed she is going to be when she wakes up. She is going to need your support now, more than ever.” The trick worked. As Ryuuji held Ami gently in his arms, everyone else returned to their seats. Hisako approached the Major and whispered something in his ear that no-one else could hear, but it made him smile. “An excellent idea.” he told Hisako. Then, turning to the first row of the bride’s side he asked, “Aiko-chan. Suzume-chan. Could you come up here to the microphone?”

.

Ami awoke to the sound of someone singing _Amaenbo-Wedding_ and the wonderful feeling of being held in Ryuuji’s arms. His scent was around her and she felt warm and comforted in his embrace. “Oh Ryuuji, I had the strangest dream.” Her eyes opened a little and she was looking at the collar and bow tie of a tuxedo.

“Eh!” her eyes popped open as she realized that the strange thing she remembered wasn’t a dream after all.

“Please tell me I didn’t…” Ami cringed to hear what had happened.

“Hey,” Ryuuji calmed her with his voice and with a gentle stroke of his fingers on her cheek, “You never hit the ground. And don’t worry, everyone here is on your side. They are all pulling for you.”

“Oh no,” Ami couldn’t help but feel the embarrassment flood in, “do you… do you still want to marry a klutz like me?”

“Klutz or not,” Ryuuji told her, “I still want to marry you.”

“Really?” Ami sounded overjoyed but was able to stammer out, “then… then put me down so we can walk up these steps together!” Ryuuji put her back on her feet but didn’t let go of her hand.

“Together.” he said to her as they took their first step onto the bigger stage.

.

Most of the rest of the wedding was a blur of memories to Ami. A friend of her mother’s officiated the wedding. He said things. Ryuuji said things. She said things. Then she was holding her hand out and Ryuuji had a beautiful, perfect ring of bright metal between his finger and thumb. Ami had a hard time catching her breath. It felt like she had forgotten how to breathe at all.

 _This is really happening! I’m really doing this! He really loves me! Me! Ryuuji loves me!_ Ami knew at a fundamental level that she was dangerously close to going into shock. This had never happened to her before today. Getting overexcited was something that new models did and she was already experienced so… this shouldn’t be happening. _But this isn’t a modeling scene, or an acting gig… this is real. I guess I don’t have that much experience being real after all._ Ami could see her vision blurring at the edges and feeling unsteady on her feet again. She felt as if she were about to fall into a dark chasm when she heard Ryuuji’s voice and felt strong arms supporting her.

“Breathe Ami,” Ryuuji was looking deep into her eyes and trying to speak to the frightened Ami inside, “You can do this. You just need to take a deep breath. Don’t worry about falling, Hisako has you and she won’t let you fall.”

“I won’t let you fall.” Hisako’s voice came from very near Ami’s ear. “I’ll never let you fall, Ami.”

“Help…” Ami looked at the ring in her own hand but she couldn’t make her fingers work. She knew she had to put the groom’s ring on Ryuuji’s finger, but she couldn’t stop her hand from shaking and she was afraid if she tried to hold the pretty ring in her unresponsive fingers, she would just drop it. With tears in her eyes, she begged, “Help me, Hisako! I can’t make my fingers work.”

“You have only to ask,” Hisako reached out to Ami’s hand and prized open the clenching fingers to find the ring. She didn’t take the ring; she put it between Ami’s finger and thumb and then held onto Ami’s hand while the ring slid onto Ryuuji’s finger.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife!” a booming voice rang out. Ami could hear cheering in the background and wondered if that was okay with Ryuuji. She looked up from the rings on their fingers to Ryuuji’s face just as the minister said the next line.

“You may kiss the bride.” the voice rang out.

“Umf!” Ami was initially embarrassed that they were kissing each other in front of their family, friends, teacher, and classmates… but the embarrassment didn’t last too long. Ryuuji was a pretty good kisser and, after all, they were married now so… why not?

Their class roared with cheers and applause when Ami’s arms wrapped around Ryuuji and she kissed him back with all her remaining energy.

.

**Saturday night, October 31 – California: JaAMS Engineering and Applied Sciences Building II**

* * *

Kitamura turned to Sumire and kissed her. Just like Ryuuji, it didn’t matter to him who was watching – it was time to kiss the girl that he loved.

Like Ami, Sumire was initially embarrassed but soon melted into their combined passion. When they finally broke the kiss, Kitamura put a finger to Sumire’s lips and told her, “Best Halloween Party ever. Thank you Sumire.”


	34. Check Once

**After the wedding…**

* * *

After the wedding was over, a few family members, several good friends, and a lot of classmates cheered the wedded couple in a grand Reception party and wished them well. But for Ryuuji and Ami, and their immediate friends, they had to face the bittersweet farewells as their friends left for the airport or the train station. Aiko-chan wasn’t quite as inconsolable as before. She had seen her Deena-chan leave and return several times and she was able to bear it better now. Better, but still… there were tears from both of them as they said their goodbyes to each other. Similarly, there were tears when Yuri had to bid her Major farewell yet again. Suzume’s sister had to go back to work and Ami’s mother had to leave for a film shoot in Kyoto. The classmates and younger friends left with Yuri-sensei the following day to end their special field trip, and that left only Ami, Ryuuji, and Yasuko at the hotel.

Ami humorously pointed out that it wasn’t often that newlyweds spent their honeymoon with their mother-in-law, but, other than staying in the same suite, they didn’t actually see her that much. Ryuuji knew that there had been no malice in Ami’s observation. In fact, Ami had wished that the three of them would have had more time together. It hadn't really been that long ago that the three of them had started down this path together. Initially, it had all been an effort between Ami and Yasuko to save Ryuuji from his depression. But something happened along the way. Something strange and wonderful happened. Some of that _strange and wonderful_ had happened in this very hotel suite.

Since a week before the wedding when she had a heart to heart talk with Maya and Nanako, Ami had been spending a lot of time looking back. She now admitted that she had been harboring feelings for Ryuuji at least since the previous winter… possibly even further back than that. But to think that Ryuuji would ever see her in a romantic way was something she had dreamed of, but never really considered. Gazing at the two rings on her finger, she wondered at the impossible odds that had been beaten for Ryuuji to end up at her side now.

Ryuuji and Ami knew they were essentially skipping school, but their grades were good and their college had already been decided… For a little while, they could be carefree with each other. Staying in bed late and snuggling, seeing the parks and museums of Tokyo, and relaxing in the hotel’s luxurious penthouse were how they spent the rest of the week.

Every morning they awoke with a momentary fright that it had all been a dream, but the feeling of closeness from being in each others arms quickly dispelled the brief fear. Each of them had their own reasons for these little panic attacks.

Ryuuji had only recently had any friends in his life and Ami was the first person he loved that loved him back without pain. He had been infatuated with Minori, but she had never returned his feelings. Taiga had been a friendship that turned into a love, but there had always been an edge to it that made it too immature to take seriously. At the same time he felt that he loved Taiga, he likened that kind of love to the way children in the playground show their affection by hitting each other. If that was true, Taiga must have liked him a lot – but being hurt all the time was not something he wanted to enjoy in a relationship. It wasn’t something anyone would want in a relationship. Even children eventually grew tired of that game. But Taiga never seemed to learn that lesson. It was as if it had been the only way she knew how to express herself. Finally, she had hurt him the most cruelly when she walked away from him without even the decency of a conversation. Ami could sometimes be a bit critical, but she never hurt him. The love and affection he felt from her was more real somehow.

For her part, Ami had lived her life like a pretty shopkeeper in a busy train station. People seemed to come and go at a dizzying pace. Sometimes they would stay for a bit but soon enough they had to get on with their busy lives. Even her mother seemed to spend more time _away_ than _with_ her daughter. As a child, Ami understood that her mother’s important acting career was what kept her away, but that didn’t help with the loneliness. Relatives helped out and caretakers were employed, but no matter how good a girl Ami tried to be, none of them seemed to stick around for very long. Oh, they all seemed to like her well enough… or at least they liked the facade she showed them. They liked her _well enough_ to take care of her, but there had never been the closeness she saw in other parents with their children.

Even friendships with classmates seemed to be no deeper than Ami’s shallow facade. Kitamura had been one of the few people in her life to see through her fake persona. He tried to convince her that people could like the real Ami, but she hadn’t believed him. She had convinced herself that Kitamura was unique.

No-one would accept the real Ami.

No-one would like the real Ami.

No-one would stick around unless she was perfect and sweet.

 _But Ryuuji…_ He let her know early on that the facade was tiresome and yet… he still talked to her. Even when he didn’t like her very much, after they had first met – he would still talk to her and even seemed to care. He didn’t always understand her, but he didn’t blow her off either. He was there when she needed him and she returned the favor by being there for him. He was the one that listened. He was the one that cared. He knew her for who she was and still chose to stick around.

And now, they were married. She vowed to always be the real Ami for him. Marriage means a lot of things, but to Ami the most important part was something most people would take for granted: Ryuuji had made the ultimate promise to stick around – and Ami would hold him to that promise.

.

Not that there was any sign of Ryuuji wanting to let go. Neither was there any indication that he had become clingy, needful, or more possessive either. At least, not while he was awake. The second night in the hotel, Ami awoke with some difficulty breathing. The panic was gone as soon as she realized it was Ryuuji's arms that were binding her chest. He was murmuring in his sleep and she wondered if he was having a nightmare. She was deciding whether to try and wake him up when his eyes fluttered open and he sprang away from her.

“Sorry! I didn't mean… Did I hurt you?” Ryuuji's contrite reaction was so ridiculous that Ami had to fight an impulse to laugh.

“It was a little hard to breath, but you didn't hurt me. Were you having a nightmare?” Ami was glad he couldn't see her well in the darkness. Her voice sounded genuinely concerned but she was so terribly close to laughing at this tense but silly situation.

“I… I guess, but I don't remember much of it.” Ryuuji's brow furrowed as he tried to recall just what it was that had been so worrisome in his dream. “I just remember there was a feeling of… loss.”

“Loss?” Ami's inclination to laugh suddenly evaporated, “As in… losing me?”

“I don't know…” He could tell from her tone, that she was not pleased to hear this. Ryuuji would give himself a headache racking his brains to remember, if it would make Ami feel better. “I was also worried that I might have done something… inappropriate.”

“Oh, like what?” Ami was still uneasy about the whole _loss_ thing, but this new development was interesting in a different way. From the way his voice dropped, it was something he was even more embarrassed about.

“I thought that I might have… in my sleep… I might have touched you… in places where I shouldn't.” Ryuuji stammered.

“Ryuuji,” Ami said as she reached out and took his hand, “we are married now. I don't think there are any places where you can't touch me any more.”

“Huh?” Ryuuji was briefly stunned since Ami emphasized her comment by pulling his hand closer, and placing it on her breast. It wasn't a naked contact, but the translucent nighty she was wearing didn't do much to blunt the sensation of her softness, firmness, and warmth on his fingertips.

“You know, it was in this hotel… in this very bed, when everything changed. Wasn't it?” Ami said softly.

“What do you mean?” Ryuuji asked.

“On our first trip here. I still remember waking up and finding myself cuddled up to you. I was so afraid.” Ami told him.

“I'm sorry.” Ryuuji remembered too. His mother had awoken them and he was startled to find that he was clutching Ami to his body.

“No… You don't need to apologize for anything. I wasn't afraid of you. I was afraid that I had gone too far… that I wanted too much from you.” Ami told him.

“I was too.” Ryuuji confessed, “I knew that I wanted too much. And, I was still convinced that you still just liked me as a friend.”

“Baka.” Ami laughed, then asked, “But in the end, you did get what you wanted, didn't you?”

“Not at the time.” Ryuuji reminisced back to those amazing days.

“Huh?” Ami worried if she had somehow disappointed him back then.

Ryuuji took a moment to just look at Ami's beautiful face before answering her. She was truly a model, but she was his goddess. The morning sun was bouncing off all the surrounding glass skyscrapers and sending rays of sunlight into the room at all kinds of odd angles. Her face was lit up now and she seemed to glow while she looked back at him.

“I think I had told you that I woke up before you and found you cuddled up to me. You were so beautiful there, sleeping on my arm. I… I stole a kiss while you were sleeping. I kissed you on your forehead then, and I felt like I could float like a cloud… but I felt guilty too. Then later, after you called me _your boyfriend_ and said that we were supposed to cuddle, I wanted to kiss you again.” Ryuuji struggled to tell her how deep his feelings had been back then.

“Hey… you know you can kiss me now, right?” Ami reminded him that their relationship had more than a past. It also had a very real present as well. She started to gasp but never had the chance.

Ami's invitation was all Ryuuji needed to break through his inertia. Taking her slender but limber body in his arms, he kissed her the way he wanted to that July morning that seemed so long ago.

Ami showed no reluctance either. This was something she wanted as well. She knew it was Ryuuji's habit to be mindful of his own exuberance and emotions when it was so easy for others to be scared of him. But it was different now. It was just Ryuuji and Ami. There was no-one else to have to hold himself back for. Finally, Ami got to see his passion unleashed and she was thrilled. Her hands found his body and she pulled him close until she could wrap him in her arms and legs.

His kisses were like fire and his whole body seemed to be heating up as they entwined on the big bed. Ami broke off the kiss for a few moments to gasp for air. Her body was covered in sweat and she could see a fine sheen covering his body as well. He pulled her close and she felt him kiss her ear. From there, his lips and teeth raked down the side of her neck to a place that seemed to explode with sensation. Ami cried out and wrapped herself around her lover, her husband, and her future. His heat scorched her to her core, but she willingly let it consume her. _Oh Ryuuji, you really are the dragon!_

.

Outside the bedroom, Yasuko stood stunned for a moment when she heard a scream from the big bedroom. She had a tray with some coffees and was on her way to wish her son and daughter-in-law a good-morning, when the sound of Ami's cry almost made her spill the drinks. A moment later, she heard her son make a howl that she had never heard him make before.

Tears of joy formed in her eyes even as a knowing smile slowly spread across her face. More than anyone else, she had known of Ryuuji's sadness and loneliness. It had taken a long time, but he had weathered the storm and finally was able to reap the rich rewards of friends, love, and happiness. She wanted to congratulate him on his joyous success, but… this was not the time. Instead, she gave the sturdy door a bow of gratitude and turned to head back to the kitchen with her little tray.

 _Perhaps this would be a good day to pay some attention to my latest little sisters._ Yasuko's wondered if anyone would notice that she was smiling a little more than usual today. Ryuuji was happy and she had a new little sister that needed attention. She knew she must look like she had lost her mind, but she didn't care. From the kitchen, she danced all the way to the elevator. _When life allows you happy moments like this, they need to be celebrated!_

.

While Ami and Ryuuji had plenty of time to enjoy the suite, the rooftop garden and bath, and even occasionally make it out of the hotel room to enjoy Tokyo itself, Yasuko spent the next several days getting to know Yukiko’s sisters and, yes… adding them to her collection.

Yamada Natsuko didn’t think she would succumb to being enchanted like her sisters had, but her pride had been her weakness. Natsuko had always been proud of how well she kept herself in shape, so her sister's stories about how hard _The Onee-_ _c_ _han_ exercised, had piqued her interest. After a single session with the blond dynamo, she was undone. Collapsed, panting for breath, and unable to move her arms or legs, she marveled at the older woman that still had the energy to talk and bounce along beside her as she was carried away. Onee-chan insisted that Natsuko should be carried up to her suite where she could take care of the exhausted Yamada sister. While bathing Natsuko and helping her up to the rooftop bath to soak in the wonderful hot water, Yasuko never stopped smiling. Indeed, Natsuko noticed that she seemed to be humming a nursery tune and softly singing words that she could almost make out. The singing started when Natsuko was relaxing in the hot bath. Yasuko held onto Natsuko to keep her head from slipping under the water and rested her head on Yasuko’s abundant breasts. She did not remember falling asleep, but she awoke looking up into Yasuko’s gentle brown eyes and feeling as if all the disappointments in her life were just melting away… well, at least the disappointments related to family. Yasuko didn’t say a word when the sobs and tears started. She just pulled the younger girl up, out of the hot water, and held her close while Natsuko cried away years of built-up frustrations.

By the time they left the hotel, the three Yamada sisters felt as if they were saying goodbye to a beloved sister they wished they had known forever.

“They’ve only been here a week.” Natsuko pointed out as the hotel bus left for the train station, “How can she have affected me so… so…”

“In the rest of your life, you may never meet a more honest and open love than hers.” Haruko said as she wiped a tear from her own eye.

.

**Tuesday morning, December 01 – Ohashi High School**

* * *

About three weeks after Yasuko and the newlyweds got back from Tokyo, the entertainment magazine released it’s first issue focusing on Kawashima Ami on the first of December. Before the sun had come up, the wrapped magazines were delivered to news-stands, convenience stores, supermarkets, and the like. The taut plastic straps bound the thick stacks of magazines on curbs and store entrances where they were left by half asleep workers in fast moving delivery trucks.

The magazine’s editor had not been amused with the agreement that had been made by his reporter, but he changed his mind when he saw the pictures and the interviews that had been amassed. As he dug through the heavy folder that the reporter and photographer had been working on, his assessment went from a minor press release on a back page to a half page summary. He sat up and had to control his excitement as his opinion then moved from a full page article to a multi-page review. Eventually… and reluctantly, he had to apologize for suggesting that the reporter had been wasting time and resources. With the apologies frown still on his face, he stalked off to the editor-in-chief with what he knew would be the front page of the magazine and an in-depth story. In the staff room, the magazine juggernaut that was famous for crushing obstacles to its well ordered schedule… paused. Phone calls were made and meetings were held in conference rooms, offices and hallways. Voices were spoken loudly; some of them were in anger while others were from excitement. In the end, priorities were replotted, story-lines reconfigured, and the next issue was redone. It was barely finished in time for the December release that now rested at the feet of shop owners, stockers, and librarians that would cut the plastic straps and be the first to see the cover of the latest issues.

Some of these early morning workers didn’t know who Kawashima Ami was.

Some didn’t care.

Some dropped the pile of magazines in shock when they found out that the widely believed truth had been only a rumor, and one of the most ridiculous rumors had actually been the truth.

Ami had received the advanced copies of the December issue only a day prior to the release date, due to the last minute nature of how the December issue had been changed. She hadn’t had a chance to look at it before class and was surprised when she got to school and there was a copy on almost every desk. Since she hadn’t even removed the protective sleeve from her advanced copies, she was stunned to see her own face looking back at her from the cover of so many magazines being held by her classmates.

“I… I made the front cover?” Ami asked with wide eyes. People in the classroom realized she was there when they heard her surprised voice. Suddenly there was an anxious crowd around her. Dozens of students, and even a few teachers or school staff were wanting an autograph on their copy of the magazine. The crowd was being held back by Noto, Haruta, and Ryuuji. Her husband had already been beside her, but Noto and Haruta had come to her aid when it looked like she might get buried under an anxious wave of excited fans.

“All right, that’s enough!” Yuri cried out from her desk. Actually, from on top of her desk. There seemed to be a crowd of students around her desk as well. “Kawashima Ami… and I, will be available after school today so if you’re not in class 3-C, please go now to your respective class. If you are in Class 3-C, please take your seat and prepare yourself for your first exam of the day.”

Ryuuji, Noto, and Haruta stayed with Ami until the crowd dispersed and she was able to get to her desk. Only then did Ami realize how many of the people in the room had not been from their class… or even their grade.

“What the heck is going on?” Ami asked quietly as they made their way to their desks.

“You’re on the front cover and it looks like you got a lot more than just an article.” Noto answered.

“They are running this as a major story,” Yuri said to the classroom. “Apparently, it is going to be presented in four parts with more of Ami’s life being revealed in each issue.”

“This one talks about how you really are in high school.” Maya told her, “There are pictures of some of us in our uniforms and… they even have an interview with sensei in there.”

“Oh?” Ami now knew why there had been a crowd around Yuri’s desk when she came in. _This sounds interesting. I wonder how our dear sensei will react to a crowd around her everywhere she goes?_

“It’s okay, I can handle it.” Yuri smiled, “It’s kinda nice actually. But we need to think about you now, Ami-chan. I think the impact of this issue is more than any of us expected.”

Hearing how Yuri was only concerned for Ami’s safety produced a pang of regret in Ami for what she had been thinking. Looking sideways at Ryuuji, she thought, _I still have some growing up to do after all. Please be patient with me._

“Maybe it won’t be so bad.” Maya was starting to understand Yuri’s concern, “Maybe this morning was just because we all go to school with her.”

“I don’t know...” Yuri had read entertainment and fashion magazines most of her life and she knew that Ami could be in for quite a storm.

 _It has only just begun._ Ryuuji thought about the conversation he had with Ami’s mother about changing the publicity plans. _She knew. Kawashima Anna knew that this would happen and what it would mean_ _to Ami’s school life_ _. But she is right about one thing. It will almost definitely jump start her acting debut._

.

Over the next several weeks, there were lulls and storms of people waiting to ambush Ami at the school’s main gate. Fans and other reporters figured out what high school belonged to the uniforms in the magazine pictures and camped out at the entrance gate to get an autograph or a story of their own. On days when there were not too many fans hanging about, Ami would stop to smile and sign the occasional autograph. Even when there were a lot of fans, it wasn't so much of a problem for her. Both Ryuuji and Hisako would be in the background wearing hats and sunglasses to remain unnoticed, but still ready to assist if the crowd had the wrong attitude.

The real problems were the reporters. They were angry at how wrong they had all been, and how completely unawares they had been caught. They would sometimes be very adamant about demanding their own interview. These were the times when Ryuuji and Hisako would have to put on their caps, sunglasses, and cold masks. They would wade into the conflict and disentangle Ami from the demands of the more aggressive reporters. Such unbecoming attitudes were not appreciated by Ami's fellow students either.

Like close siblings, her schoolmates were perfectly willing to run Ami to ground for something they wanted for themselves, but when outsiders started trying to pressure her, on her way to and from school, that was too much. Ami discovered that there were certain days when several dozen students seemed to be taking the same route home as her. The impromptu entourage became adept at pushing through the ring of reporters and getting Ami safely to her house.

Unfortunately, they couldn't help her on days when she had to go to the recording studio. On those days, Ryuuji and Ami would leave the school early to draw off the crowd of fans, reporters, and paparazzi. The trick worked and the rest of the students were undisturbed when they left school. This also meant that Hisako could leave without arousing interest from the more persistent media. She wore the hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses anyway – just in case there was a photographer left. It was her job to get to the middle school and pick up Suzume on the recording days. Yasuko would arrive at the studio with Aiko-chan. Of course, just as it was rare for Hisako to head over to the Middle School without Nanako accompanying her, it was also rare for Suzume to arrive without Umeki. After a few weeks of traveling to their sessions separately, Suzume was missing the _good old days,_ when they would all go to the studio together.

“Why don't we ever go to the singing class with Ami-senpai any more?” Suzume asked as they walked from her middle school to the train station. Suzume and Umeki were walking in front with Hisako and Nanako holding hands and walking just behind them. Both Nanako and Umeki were normal height for girls in their grades, but walking next to Hisako and Suzume made it look like they were the taller girls' little sisters.

“The magazine,” Hisako answered, “ever since that December issue came out, she has been getting a lot of attention from fans, reporters, and… paparazzi.”

“You sound concerned, Hisako-senpai.” Suzume observed.

“I am.” Hisako tried to smile, “All this attention is really interfering with her school life. She has to be careful where she goes and she isn't able to hang out with her friends like she used to.”

Nanako glanced up at her girlfriend and saw the concern. She had already anticipated the possibly difficult times ahead of them and she was certain she could weather the storm. Despite how tough Hisako appeared to be, Nanako knew that deep inside, she constantly struggled with demons of insecurity and self doubt. Most people that lived through several years of difficult times and adverse conditions like Hisako did would be plagued by such doubts and fears, so Nanako never thought of her friend as weak or cowardly. On the contrary, the fact that Hisako hadn't found a hole to hide in and retreat from reality only made Nanako proud of her tall girlfriend. But it wasn't Nanako that Hisako was worried about right now. Nanako looked at the two middle school friends and wondered if they would be able to withstand the coming storm.

“Well, she's a model… and she wants to be an actor, right?” Umeki asked, “That kind of thing goes with the territory, doesn't it?”

“Yeah… I guess it does.” Hisako thought about not telling them of her worries. She could keep them sheltered for a little while longer, but eventually… No, she decided that it would be better if they knew of the approaching chaos, “The December issue was all about Ami and now she is getting all this attention. And, like you say, it does go with the territory. The January issue will feature Ami and me, but Suzume-chan will be in there too.”

“Me?” Suzume blinked. Insight and imagination collided in her mind in that moment and she could vividly see herself surrounded by people with cameras and microphones while her few friends were getting pushed further and further away.

“Yup,” Hisako told her, “this is the plan that Ryuuji-sama worked out with Kawashima Anna and the magazine company.”

“Wow, that'll be great Suzume-chan!” Umeki cheered, “You'll be famous then!”

“Yeah,” Suzume sounded less than thrilled as she grasped the full meaning of what Hisako was saying. She reached out and took Umeki's hand, “But…”

“You're worried about losing your friends, aren't you?” Umeki surprised Suzume with the question.

“Uh, yes.” _I’m worried about losing you._ Suzume was struck by the discord between the sad possibility they were discussing and the cheerful smile on Umeki's face. It was a little unnerving, but it made her challenge her own fears at the same time.

“I am not a brave person, but I'm not worried.” Umeki sounded more confident than she ever did at school as she squeezed Suzume's hand and told her, “Ryuuji-sama and I have been working on a present for you that will solve all those problems.”

“Really?” Suzume was stunned, “what is it?” Hisako and Nanako also looked at each other to see if either of them knew what Umeki was talking about, but neither did.

“Um… I can't tell you!” Umeki blushed, “It's going to be a Christmas present for you.”

“Huh?” Suzume was a little upset that her friend wouldn't tell her, but she was also rather happy that she was getting such a thoughtful present from her best friend… and from Ryuuji-sama.

.

**Friday afternoon, December 25 – Koigakubo Yuri's apartment**

* * *

“Oh girls,” Yuri said to Hisako and Nanako as she let them into her apartment, are you sure you want to be here on Christmas? I don't want to ruin your plans.”

“Are you kidding me?” Hisako laughed, “Nanako-chan has been working on this outfit for a week and and is very excited to see you try it on. If we weren't here for this now, she would probably be crying.” Hisako moved quickly and seized the collar of Yuri's jacket to hold her face very close as she said, “And you know how I feel about people that make my Nanako-chan cry.”

“EEP!” Yuri was surprised at Hisako's sudden change in attitude and scared of her threatening voice.

“Just kidding,” Hisako laughed as her hands moved down from the collar to start unbuttoning Yuri's blouse, “Now I just want you to relax and let us do our work and we'll be done in no time at all.”

“Wait… what are you doing?” Yuri looked down to see her blouse already undone and her bra exposed.

“Sensei,” Nanako explained, “This piece that I made for you is very exacting. I can't have any clothes in the way during the fitting.”

“What?” Yuri cried out as Hisako's nimble fingers unlatched her bra and pulled it off, “It… It's just a wedding dress, isn't it?”

“No,” Hisako said as her fingers found the zipper to Yuri's skirt and unzipped it to let the garment fall to the floor. “Nanako finished the wedding dress already. This is something else… something special.”

“What?” Yuri's question turned into a panicked cry as Hisako also pulled her panties down her legs.

“Sensei?” Nanako asked as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world, “Why are you embarrassed? We, were at an onsen with everyone not too long ago and it's just us girls this time.”

“Um,” _That’s true I suppose._ Yuri's lip trembled a little bit as she stood naked in the middle of her living room between her two friends, “I guess it's all right if it's you two. It’s still a little embarrassing though.”

“Not to worry,” Hisako assured her as she pulled something out of her pocket, “we're almost done. I just need you to put this sleeping mask on…”

“Sleeping mask?” Yuri saw the silky black thing in Hisako's hand, “You mean a blindfold? Why?”

“For the unveiling.” Nanako said calmly, “If it fits right, we'll take off the blindfold and you get to enjoy your surprise present… but if I have to take it back for some more modifications, well… I don't want you to see it until it's done… or it will ruin the surprise.”

“Oh… If that's the reason, I guess… it should be okay then.” Yuri nervously took the blindfold from Hisako and put it on herself, then stood still so they could continue with the fitting.

“All right, arms up!” Nanako said as Hisako lifted the silky garment over Yuri's head.

Yuri felt something very silky and light, yet strong sliding down her arms and face and over her breasts as it slowly covered her. She could tell from the way the fabric brushed against her legs that it went down almost to her knees. She was a little surprised at that. Knowing Nanako and her cos-play fetish, she had been wondering if this was going to be another one of the erotic costumes that the girl was so fond of. Yuri felt Nanako take her by the hands to help steady her while Hisako closed some straps across the back that made the garment very tight around the lower torso.

“Is…” Yuri caught herself before she asked if the thing she was wearing was a corset. The blindfold she was wearing was a pretty good reminder that Nanako wanted the grand reveal to be a surprise. She felt Hisako finish and step away and Nanako let go of her hands as they both stepped back to take a look at the fit.

“Wow, Nanako,” Hisako said, “you really outdid yourself. It looks great!”

“It looks like a perfect fit.” Nanako said, “I'm surprised too. I was worried that it might be too tight.”

“Can I see it now?” Yuri asked as her hands started to move up to her blindfold.

“Not yet.” Hisako said as she took Yuri's hands to prevent her from removing the blindfold prematurely. Just as Hisako was about to explain a little more, the three girls heard the doorbell ring.

“Um… Hisako?” Yuri's concern was growing again.

“I'll get the door!” Nanako said cheerfully as she trotted off.

“Don't worry,” Hisako whispered from close to Yuri's ear, “it looks beautiful on you, and you look beautiful too. Your present is almost complete. I hope you are excited.”

“I'm wearing a blindfold and you are restraining my hands,” Yuri said tersely. The embarrassment from Hisako's complements was distracting and, as it was, Yuri was barely controlling her fear. There was a tremble in her lips as she told Hisako, “it's not really excitement that I'm feeling right now.”

“Oh, don't be like that.” Hisako said in a mock pout as she released Yuri’s hands and reached up to her face, “Here you go – I'll take off the blindfold for you now.”

“Ah!” Yuri cried out when her eyes opened and she could see the Major standing in front of her. He looked surprised too, but in a very happy sort of way. Yuri gasped, “I didn't think you were coming in until tomorrow!”

“I… I was able to make it out early.” The Major seemed to have a hard time putting his words together, “I… I was told there was a Christmas present for me.”

“Do you like it?” Nanako asked with a smile.

“Oh yes,” the Major's eyes swept up and down his fiancé's body, “it's a truly… magnificent present.”

“We'll be leaving then!” Nanako already had her bag in her hand and was heading for the door.

“You two have fun!” Hisako gave Yuri's hands over to the Major and joined Nanako in heading out the door.

“Huh?” a confused Yuri looked at the retreating girls, then at the Major who was still admiring her new outfit. Then, she looked down at her self to see what the surprise outfit looked like. The thin satiny material of the sexy chemise was almost completely transparent and the corset like midsection put her body into a very sensuous shape. “AHHH!” Yuri cried out as her blush wrapped face was almost incandescent. She shut her eyes, looked away, and would have covered herself if the Major hadn't been holding her hands. “Noooooo! Don't look at me like this!”

“But I want to see you like this.” the Major spoke from the heart, “You are so beautiful. I don't think I could ever tire of looking at you like this.”

“Eh?” Yuri opened an eye to see if he was joking with her, but all she could see was a look of adoration on his face. “B… beautiful?”

“Magnificent!” the Major insisted.

Yuri was going to tell him that he had gone too far but the look on his face said that he would accept no challenge. He increasingly looked like a starving man peering at a buffet… and she was the menu. A part of her screamed and wanted to denounce being seen as nothing more than an object of sexual desire. But that part of her was buried under the thrill that she _was_ being seen as an object of sexual desire. That had rarely ever happened before. She wasn't the prettiest girl on campus at her college, and thought of herself as 'plain' when she was in high school. For someone to react to her like this was… exhilarating. The blush faded a bit and the smile on her face spread under the Major's steady gaze. She stopped struggling to cover herself and finally noticed the decorative box in the Major's left hand.

“Oh,” the Major noticed her gaze and remembered one of the reasons he had come over today, “After the wedding last month, Haruta told me an interesting story. It has to do with the Japanese custom of a Christmas cake.”

“Eh?” Yuri was worried that Haruta might have said something useless to the Major.

“Yeah,” the Major scratched his head and explained, “I didn't understand it fully, but he said that a Christmas cake is a metaphor for you, and that makes you sad.”

“What?” At first she was horrified at what had been relayed to the Major, but something in the story got her very excited. “Haruta said that? Haruta Koji? He said that?”

“Why… why are you so happy?” the Major was confused. According to what Haruta told him, this should make her sad or angry, or both… but not happy.

“Haruta knows what a metaphor is!” Yuri was clapping her hands in happiness. After all those long sessions and extra classes, this is the first indication that something had really sunk in.

“Ah, so we don't need to eat the cake together then?” The Major seemed dubious.

“What?” Yuri's attention was brought back to the ornate box in the Major's hand, “Yes, yes of course! We should eat it together, you and me!” She turned towards her bedroom, “I'll just go change and…”

“Please don't!” the Major caught her hand as she was turning away, “At least, not on my account.”

“But… this fabric is so thin. The chair will feel cold.” Yuri tried the first excuse that popped into her mind.

“In that case,” the Major sat down and pulled Yuri into his lap, “I'll keep you warm.”

“Oh Major…” Yuri was interrupted by a kiss. Not that she minded.

.

**Friday afternoon, December 25 – Ueda Umeki's House**

* * *

“I love it!” Umeki was thrilled with the sweater that Suzume had given her. It matched the sweater that Suzume had bought for herself and it was approved by their school to be worn over their uniforms. Umeki was already looking forward to being in class with matching sweaters with Suzume. “Now I have something for you.”

Suzume watched as Umeki pulled out a garment sized box and handed it to her. As soon as she had it in her hands, Suzume knew that there was no garment inside. It was too heavy and had the wrong balance. She looked at Umeki quizzically.

“This is the present that I have been working on with my parents and Ryuuji-sama.” Umeki explained, “I know this is going to sound weird, but… Everything in the box is for you, but you can’t keep any of it.”

“Eh?” Now Suzume was really confused. With a nod from Umeki, she tore into the packaging and opened the box. On the left side of the box was a document that had been stapled and tri-folded. Suzume opened the document and started reading the first page. She was too excited to pay too much attention but she did understand that it was some kind of agreement between Umeki’s parents and Ryuuji-sama. Suzume folded up the document and saw that there was also a Japanese Passport in the box. The picture in the passport was of Umeki. A confused Suzume asked, “What?”

“Your present is… me.” Umeki said, “My parents agreed that, as long as I keep my grades up, I can travel with you when you do your modeling or singing work. Ryuuji-sama said it would be okay… I mean… if you want me to.”

“YES!” Suzume grabbed Umeki in a hug and shrieked in happiness as she started spinning around in the living room. Umeki’s arms were wrapped around Suzume’s neck and her feet were a dozen centimeters off the floor as she was spun around the room by her tall friend.

“Are you girls okay?” Umeki’s Okasan asked. Hearing the shriek, both of Umeki’s parents came back into the living room, fearing one of them had been hurt.

“Oh, thank you!” Suzume put down her friend and bowed low to the startled parents, “Thank you very much, Umeki’s parents! I promise that I won’t ever let anything happen to her!”

Umeki smiled and let the effects of a slight dizziness wear off as she watched the conversation between her friend and her parents unfold. _How on Earth can you promise something like that, Suzume? After all the stories I’ve heard about the things you’ve done, I am certain that lots of things are going to happen to me. But, as long as I am with you, I know I’ll be okay._

.

**Saturday morning, December 26 – Yokota Air Base Chapel**

* * *

Coming back to this Air Force Base brought back memories of the summer to many of the wedding guests.

Noto vividly remembered flying over Mount Fuji to get here. The aircraft was still in flight when he stood with Ryuuji and Ami while the tall blond Australian girl lowered the ramp - door at the back of the plane. There was a brief fear that he was going to be sucked out of the plane to fall to his death, but they were all carefully strapped in as the door opened wider and wider. Then he saw it, and all of his concerns, fears, and exhaustion were forgotten as the caldera of Mount Fuji passed underneath him. He would recognize the iconic symbol of Japan from any angle, but he never thought he would be seeing it like this. The wondrous sight was a tremendous gift after the previous several hours of anxiety and fear that Nanako might die from poisonous snake bites and Maya would go insane from grief. Even now, the memory of that moment stirred his emotions.

This had also been the base where they had teamed up with cadaver dog teams and search-and-rescue trained Marines to go help the victims of the earthquake and typhoon induced mudslides. It had been exhausting and even harrowing work, but it had also been rewarding and had made memories unlike any others.

The hospital at this base was where Nanako and Maya had been taken for treatment, and where Suzume and Yuri, in her wheelchair at the time, stayed the night waiting to hear some good news. Good news had indeed followed. Maya's terrible sunburn was treated and she would recover with a healthy respect for sunscreen. Nanako's treatment for the poisonous snake bites continued and she would eventually recover as well. Everyone that had gone off to assist with the disaster response teams came back safely. Yuri's leg would heal and she would soon leave her wheelchair. And, rather importantly, this was where the Major proposed to Koigakubo Yuri – right in front of her friends and students. They hadn't visited the chapel on the base during the previous trip, but they would have a lot of memorable moments there this time around.

There were a lot of similarities with Ami and Ryuuji's recent wedding. It was a western style wedding and Nanako also made the dazzling white wedding dress for Yuri. Most of the audience were members of Yuri's class, although there were a few people in uniform that were friends of the Major and a few fellow teachers and old college friends of Yuri’s as well. Aiko-chan got to be the flower girl again. There were differences too. Ryuuji was the Major's best man and Yasuko was Yuri's maid of honor. As soon as the ceremony was over, Yuri and the Major were whisked away to the air base’s airport where a military transport plane just happened to be heading to Hawaii.

“Hawaii huh,” Suzume sighed, “that sounds like a lot of fun.”

“You've never been there?” Ami asked a little too innocently, but Suzume didn't notice the sneaky look Ami had on her face.

“No way, me go out of the country? Do you remember who my sister is?” with a grumpy look on her face, Suzume reminded them of the overprotective sister that was also her legal guardian.

“Well,” Ryuuji was casually checking the messages on his cell phone as he said, “we'll all be there for a modeling gig in two weeks, so you'll see it then.”

“What?” both Suzume and Hisako gaped.

“It's a modeling gig for the Red Black and Blue team, but we'll be taking Aiko-chan along too since we'll be there about a week and we can't afford to miss that many singing practices.”

“Ahhhh!” Suzume and Hisako were both holding onto Ryuuji's arms and jumping up and down in excitement.

“Hey girls!” Ami called out to her two excited friends, “Can I can have my husband back?”

“No!” Suzume said petulantly, “You get to have him all the time. He's my manager too, so I should get a little Ryuuji-time.” She held onto Ryuuji's arm all the more tightly because she knew she would lose this argument.

“I…” Ami was about to punch some gaping holes in Suzume's logic. After all, just because someone is your manager doesn't mean you get to hang onto them like that. But she saw the hurt and… defeated look in Suzume's eyes and she knew what the young girl was feeling. “I guess you can hang onto that side.”

“Eh?” Ryuuji wondered what Ami was thinking as she walked up to Hisako who was defiantly clinging to his other arm.

“I can make you let go with five words.” Ami smiled up at the rebellious, raven haired model.

“Give it your best shot.” Hisako raised an eyebrow and taunted Ami.

“Nanako is waiting for you.” Ami smirked and counted the words on one hand as she said them.

“Umpf!” Hisako reacted as if she had been hit. Looking around, she saw Nanako waiting patiently for her at the base of the steps. Turning back to Ami, she conceded defeat as she said to her friend, “Kawashima Ami, you don't play fair.”

“I never claimed to.” Ami smiled as she stepped in to replace Hisako on Ryuuji's arm. Then to Suzume she said, “Now, Suzume-chan, let's see how well this nice young man is able to entertain two such ravishingly beautiful women as ourselves!”

“I want to go to the Tokyo Skytree!” Suzume gushed.

“It's not finished yet.” Ryuuji reminded her.

“Then let's go to the Tokyo Tower!” Suzume tried again.

Ryuuji was about to grouse that they had already been there as well, but he felt Ami’s elbow in his side and knew that it was time to cave in. “All right then, Tokyo Tower, here we come!”

.

“Just a minute!” Deena-chan called out before anyone left. “Please… just a moment.”

There was sudden concern as everyone around saw that Deena Walker looked absolutely miserable. Aiko-chan walked over and took her hand to comfort her giant friend, but to her dismay, it only seemed to make Deena-chan cry more. She wasn’t choking or sobbing… yet, but the tears were streaming down her face.

“Take all the time that you need.” Ryuuji tried to reassure his tall blond Australian friend. He looked around and saw that his mother also looked sad. Whatever it was that had bothered Deena-chan, it seemed that she had at least shared it with Yasuko. As expected, even Deena-chan thought of Yasuko as The Onee-chan.

“ _All the time_ … that’s what I wish I had.” Deena looked up at her friends and tried to smile through the emotions that made the tears fall and the lips tremble. “As you know, I have been temporarily assigned to the Major, and that’s how I have been able to accompany him and visit with you all this time.”

“Yeah,” Ryuuji recalled, “you were in Okinawa for some kind of training, right?”

“Yes,” Deena nodded as she knelt to pull Aiko-chan into a hug, “but I finished my training and my assignment to the Major is over now.”

“What...” Ryuuji had a sudden bad feeling about what this meant.

“What does that mean, Deena-chan?” Aiko-chan’s voice was already trembling. As young as she was, she had an idea that this wasn’t something good too.

“It means that I am finished living in Okinawa and I am going home.” Deena-chan pulled Aiko-chan into the hug a little closer so the little girl couldn’t see the gush of new tears that were spilling from her eyes.

“Home?” Aiko-chan was afraid to hear any more. Her little arms wrapped around Deena and held onto her fiercely. “N… no…”

“I’ll be going back to Australia tomorrow morning.” Deena couldn’t hold back any more and choked back a sob while she held onto her young friend.

“No! Deena-chan, no!” Aiko-chan wailed, “I don’t want you to go! I don’t want you to leave me!”

“Oh, Aiko-chan… I don’t want to leave you either!” Deena cried.

“Hey, hey hey!” Ryuuji cut in, “Deena-chan has to go home, but that doesn’t mean she is leaving you.”

“Huh?” Aiko-chan queried without leaving the comfort of Deena-chan’s embrace. Deena-chan’s tear stained face also seemed confused.

“He’s right,” Ami added, “this is just _good-bye_ , it’s not _sayonara_.” Ami knew the words would help, but she also knew what this move would mean. Deena-chan would no longer be coming to Japan every time the Major did. She would be too far away for that. Her chances to visit would become very rare events. Her work in her country’s military meant that she wouldn’t be able to have the freedom to travel and visit or even receive visitors often. Ami used every bit of acting skill she knew to keep the sadness from her face as the thought occurred to her. _This may be sayonara after all._

“Really?” Aiko-chan sounded a little hopeful, “What can I do?”

“You can start by writing letters to Deena-chan.” Hisako offered.

“Letters?” Aiko-chan almost laughed at the archaic suggestion, “Don’t you mean emails?”

“Sure, you can send emails too,” Hisako corrected the young girl, “but nothing beats a letter from someone you like. When you get a personal letter in the mail, it makes you feel special and you know that it is from someone that loves you.”

“I… I don’t know how to write a letter.” Aiko-chan sounded lost, but her eyes were opened wide and she was already thinking about sending a letter to her friend who would soon be so far away.

“Hisako-chan and I will help you,” Yasuko promised, “we have been sending letters a lot since our summer trip and we are both pretty good at it.”

“Also, you should start putting a lot of effort into your English classes.” Noto suggested.

“Why?” Aiko-chan asked.

“It might not always be Deena-chan coming to visit you.” Maya pointed out, “Someday, you may go to visit her in Australia.”

“Wow, really?” Aiko-chan’s excitement was overtaking her sadness, but even she knew – that this was only a temporary respite from the immediate sadness. The next morning would come all too soon and Aiko-chan would be saying good-bye to her most wonderful friend. It would be the last parting, good-bye they would say to each other for a very long time.

Everyone could feel the two friend’s sorrow and hoped it would not be the last.

.

**Thursday late night, December 31 – New Years Eve at the Shrine**

* * *

“They say that girls are naked under the kimono’s they wear to the New Year event at the shrine!” Haruta said with hopeful enthusiasm.

“There’s no way in hell they are tonight.” Noto looked out the window of the big bus at the snow covered scene. Back at home, it was only two to three degrees centigrade, but they had all been invited to accompany Ami and the models to a shoot at a renovated shrine located in the mountains. It wasn’t just cold, it was below freezing outside.

“True,” Ryuuji confirmed Noto’s comment as he tossed his friends some plastic wrapped garments, “we’ll all be wearing these.”

“Huh?” Haruta opened the package and looked at a neck to toe garment and an instruction sheet. Reading the title on the instructions he groaned, “Electric Thermal Underwear? Ugh, that’s totally NOT sexy!”

“We’re not here for romance. This is a job and I don’t want anyone getting injured or sick while we’re here.” Ryuuji sounded serious. Even though the heater was on in the big bus, it was still quite chilly as Ryuuji disrobed to put on the electric thermals. Seeing his friends still staring at the snow outside the big windows, he urged them on, “Hey, hurry it up. The girls in the other bus are already getting dressed.”

“What, really?” Haruta raised the side window shade to stare at the other bus… only to see that it had all it’s shades drawn.

“Baka!” Noto yelled at his friend, “Pull that shade back down and start getting dressed!”

.

In the other bus, the girls had already put on their thermal garments, but then had to take a break while the bus cooled down. Even with the electric components of the thermal garments off, most everyone on the bus started to overheat. For anyone not wearing the thermal garments, it was now very chilly on the girl’s bus.

“Does anyone know how to put one of these on besides Nanako?” Maya asked as she struggled to put on her kimono. There was increasing frustration on the girls’ bus because it was crowded and putting on the traditional garment is a lot more difficult than throwing on a school uniform.

“I do!” Yasuko cheered, “I used to wear them for work a lot.”

“Okay, let’s do it this way…” Ami called out, “Nanako-chan and Onee-chan will be at the front of the bus. After they get you dressed, get off the bus and wait by the door.”

“It’s below freezing out there!” Umeki objected.

“Don’t worry,” Hisako told her, “with all the stuff we’ll have on, I think we’ll be plenty warm.”

“Just in case, I’ll go first.” Ami volunteered. Part of her felt responsible since this was her plan, but mostly she wanted to get out there in case Ryuuji was already dressed and waiting for her.

“Me too.” Maya stepped forward, also feigning courage but thinking about her Noto. She acted brave until her eyes met Ami’s. Then both girls giggled and knew that their real reasons were the same.

The arctic boot-like jikatabi obviated the need for the usual zori sandals and were far safer in the slippery ice and snow conditions of the cold mountain weather. The form fitting electric thermals covered the arms and ended in gloves. The fabric was white with silver tracings and matched well with the designs on all the ornate kimono’s that the girls were wearing. When Ami and Maya got out of their bus, they did not see the boys waiting for them, but they were not at all cold yet.

Yet…

The residual warmth only lasted a few minutes. In the gusting alpine wind, it seemed odd that it was the head that felt the coldest. Ami wondered about that for a moment. Usually, it was her hands that would feel cold before she felt it in her face. After thinking about it a moment, she realized that it was probably due to the thermal undergarments. After all, they covered everything but the head. About the time the next two girls were coming off the bus, they heard the boys call out.

“Hey,” Ryuuji called out as he carried a box toward them, “I didn’t think you would be out already.” He was wearing a dark blue and gray men’s Kimono and wearing a very warm looking fur hat.

“Whoa, not fair!” Maya cried out when she saw that Noto and Haruta also had similar hats.

“Where did you get the hats?” Umeki asked. She had only been out of the bus a few minutes, but already felt the cold on her ears.

“We found a couple of boxes of them in our bus.” Ryuuji said as he plopped the box down in the snow and opened the top to reveal hats in grays, browns, black, and white.

“They were probably on our bus since yours is so crowded.” Noto suggested while handing Maya a dark reddish-brown, and very warm looking hat to Maya. “I think this one would look good on you.”

“Oh, uh… okay.” Maya had been about to reach for one of the white ones but she would at least try on the one Noto had picked out for her.

“Oh, nice!” Ryuuji sounded awed.

“Huh?” Maya looked up at her friends staring at her.

“Good job Noto,” Ami complemented, “the dark brown goes with her eyes and really complements her hair and skin tones.”

“I would have gone with the white one.” Ryuuji looked dejected as he suddenly doubted the white fur hat that he had selected for Ami. Ami took the hat from Ryuuji’s hands and put it on, then flashed her best smile as if the photographers were ready for a pose.

“What do you think? Ami asked through her sparkling smile.

“You… you’re so beautiful.” Ryuuji blushed, but felt better about the white hat he had selected.

“Just so you don’t get to big a head about it,” Noto whispered to Ryuuji, “she is Kawashima Ami after all. She would probably look good in a hat made entirely of lunch meat.”

Ami wasn’t quite sure why Ryuuji suddenly started laughing hysterically, but it was good to see him laugh. She was distracted for a moment to see Hisako coming off the bus with Aiko-chan. Seeing the sad eyes on the face of the little girl reminded Ami of the pain still in her young friend’s heart. _Now, if we could only get you to laugh again, Aiko-chan.”_

.

It took almost an hour before all the girls were dressed and off the bus. Before the last few came off the bus, Ryuuji noticed a few people had picked up snowballs…

“Hey!” Ryuuji barked out, “Drop the snowballs. Our main reason for being here is a photo shoot and possibly to film the girls singing one of their songs. After that is over and after everyone has finished with their shrine visit, you can throw all the snowballs you want.”

“Aww, Takasu-kun…” Haruta whined but dropped the snowball that was in his hand anyway. He wasn’t the only one to drop a snowball.

“I know you’re bored, but please don’t do anything to mess up the efforts that Nanako-chan and Onee-chan put into making all our Kimono’s look perfect.” Ami said with her most convincing smile.

Reluctantly, the rest of the snowballs dropped to the ground.

“Wow,” Maya said as she dusted some residual snow off of her gloved hands, “you two are going to make some incredible parents.”

Maya was shocked at the response that she got. Ryuuji turned away in a blush but the blood seemed to drain from Ami’s face. Maya’s shock continued as Ami grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the others.

“What do you know?” Ami hissed the words as quietly as possible.

“Eh?” Maya’s confusion and shock were suddenly replaced by surprise as she comprehended Ami’s actions and words. “Oh Ami!”

“Shhhh!” Ami hissed, “How did you know?”

“I didn’t,” Maya confessed, “I was just saying that the two of you will make great parents but… really?”

“Yeah… I’m pretty sure.” Ami was irked at herself for divulging this to Maya when she hadn’t even told Ryuuji yet. But, at the same time, it was a relief to tell someone.

“Pretty sure?” Maya almost laughed, “Have you seen a doctor yet?”

“No.” Ami admitted.

“Then… how do you know?” Maya asked in a concerned voice.

“I’ve had some morning sickness and I’ve missed… twice.” Ami confessed to her friend.

“I guess you’re usually pretty regular?” Maya asked.

“Like clockwork.” Ami answered.

“Still…” Maya was about to say that it could all just be stress.

“I also took a test.” Ami admitted.

“Wow.” was all the stunned Maya could say at the moment. This news hit her harder since she knew that she would also be married soon and Noto’s relatives had already made it clear that they expected a big family from their union. She had already reconciled to herself that she would be pregnant within a month of her wedding… two at the most. It had been a scary realization at first but now with Ami…

“What is it?” Ami could see the excitement in Maya’s face even though she hadn’t said a thing.

“Ami, our kids will be the same age!” Maya squeaked, “They might be friends… they might go to the same school!”

“What?” Ami was surprised now, “Are you expecting too?”

“Not yet,” Maya’s excitement showed no sign of wanning, “but I’m getting married in March and if the Hisamitsu family has anything to say about it, I’ll be pregnant before the ink is dry on the family register.”

“That would be something, wouldn’t it?” Ami had one of the first cheerful thoughts since she saw the results of the home pregnancy test. “That would really be something if they grew up as friends.”

“And…” Maya was still on her excitement rush as she speculated about the future, “if we have a boy and a girl then they might…”

“Stop!” Ami said with finality.

“Huh?” Maya looked almost hurt that Ami wasn’t getting excited about this with her.

“That kind of thing never happens in real life and arranged marriages are history.” Ami squeezed her friends arm to let her know that she wasn’t upset with anything that Maya was saying. She was only trying to bring her back to reality. Before Maya could reply, Ryuuji’s voice boomed out to everyone.

“All right, we’re all dressed and ready. The crews are in position. If everyone could please make their way to the shrine, we’ll finish up the work part so we can get to the fun stuff!” Ryuuji called out and watched as his friends slowly made their way through the big red snow-covered Torii, up the path and steps to the shrine. He smiled as he saw a very excited Maya rejoin her boyfriend and walk through the red gate together. Ami was standing alone and looking off into the snow and darkness while the rest of the party filed past Ryuuji on their way up the hill. The last to pass him were his mother holding Aiko-chan’s little hand. The two of them stopped for a moment and the mother looked up at her son’s handsome face.

“You’re not mad at her are you?” Yasuko asked.

“No,” Ryuuji sounded wistful, “I just don’t know why she won’t tell me.”

“She’s afraid.” Yasuko put her hand on her son’s arm and told him, “Go to her. She needs you now, more than you know.”

Ryuuji was about to ask why his mother thought that Ami should be afraid. But he remembered what he had learned at his grandparents house. When they found out that Yasuko was pregnant with Ryuuji, it seemed like everyone turned on her. Ryuuji nodded without saying anything and walked off toward his wife.

“Are they going to be okay?” Aiko-chan asked.

“They’re going to be super-marvelous!” Yasuko declared with confident cheerfulness. Then, as she and Aiko-chan began to ascend the long stairway to the shrine, she asked the young girl, “Have you ever wanted to have a little brother or sister?”

“Oooh, that would be great!” Aiko-chan sounded excited about something for the first time since her best friend left to go home to Australia. “I think I would rather have a sister, but a brother would be nice too!”

Yasuko and Aiko-chan giggled as they discussed how they would like to play with this theoretical sibling.

.

Ami didn’t hear Ryuuji approach. Lost in her own thoughts, she was only aware that he was there when she felt him take her hand. It was a little startling, but she knew instinctively that it was him and that made her feel better. And worse too. She wanted to tell him. She needed to. He deserved to know the truth. It wasn’t fair of her not to…

“You haven’t been eating right.” Ryuuji said conversationally, “Sooner or later it’s going to affect your health. When you keep things bottled up inside… when you don’t talk about them, it can really mess you up.”

Ami’s head spun and she stared at Ryuuji as he looked at the falling snow. _Does he know? Maya swore she wouldn’t tell, but…_

“You need to make sure you stay healthy now.” Ryuuji squeezed her hand, “It’s… twice as important as it used to be.”

 _He knows!_ Ami felt the coldness of realization hit her and tried to pull away from his hand.

Ryuuji gripped her all the more firmly. He said nothing but, in this way, he was letting her know that he wasn’t going to let her go.

“I’m going to kill Maya!” Ami said through clenched teeth.

“Maya didn’t say anything.” Ryuuji was surprised. He thought she was keeping it all to herself and wondered who else might know.

“Then… how?” Ami was puzzled. She had been careful not to let Ryuuji catch her in her morning sickness and she had kept the pregnancy test a secret from everyone.

“Yasuko,” Ryuuji answered her, “she found the wand from the _Check Once_ home pregnancy test in the trash one morning. She was so excited when she showed it to me but I just about hit the roof.”

“You were upset?” Ami felt the coldness of fear wash through her again.

“Of course I was upset!” Ryuuji laughed, “I thought it was her test and I was going to be a big brother soon.”

Ami was about to chide him for making a mistake like that but, Yasuko was still young enough – and with her personality… Ami decided that she would probably make the same assumption.

“So then… are you still upset?” Ami prodded.

“I’m concerned… why didn’t you tell me?” Ryuuji asked her bluntly. “I told you that I only wanted to make you happy. If this doesn’t make you happy… if you don’t want this child…”

“No! Ryuuji, no! I want this child more than anything.” Ami spun and grabbed Ryuuji’s other hand, “I was scared. I was afraid that you would be mad. We never really talked about this and for me to do this. For me to decide on my own…”

“On your own?” Ryuuji chuckled, “I got pretty good grades in health class and I seem to remember something in there about how this is a team effort. I’m pretty sure you can’t do this on your own.”

“You rat!” Ami let go of his hand and swung at his face. On the slippery snow covered ground, she lost her footing and her slap went wide of the mark as she started to fall. Ryuuji caught her and pulled her into a hug before she could swing at him again. Before she knew it, she was wrapped up in his protective arms. More softly now, she said, “I’m really scared, Ryuuji.”

“I know, but don’t be.” Ryuuji released her from the hug a bit and looked into her blue eyes, “I am your friend, your lover, your husband, and I look forward to being the father to our children.”

“Children?” Ami blinked.

“My mother wants a grandson and your mother wants a granddaughter.” Ryuuji explained, “You know how I don’t like to disappoint people.”

“But…” Ami was shocked that Ryuuji would say that so candidly.

“No buts!” Ryuuji turned Ami so they were facing the big torii that marked the way to the shrine, “Now lets get a move on so we can finish this photo shoot. I need to throw a really large snowball at Maya; how dare her keep this a secret from me!”

.

**Friday morning, January 1 – New Years Day**

* * *

The onsen wasn’t too far from the restored shrine. It was more modern than the one at Mount Hakkoda, but what it had in additional amenities, it sadly lost in character. From both the outside and the inside, it just looked like a generic hotel. Still, the mixed bath on the roof was a splendid place for everyone to watch the year’s first sunrise come up over the snow covered landscape. Only Haruta and his fiancé were missing, but knowing Haruta – that was to be expected.

“Hey guys, before you all go back to bed,” Ryuuji joked, “there are a couple of things I want to announce.”

Conversations paused and everyone turned to Ryuuji except Maya. She was still miffed about the truly enormous snowball he had dropped on her, earlier that morning back at the shrine.

“First, I need to remind everyone that right now, the second magazine focusing on Ami is being delivered to stores across the country.” Ryuuji waited until the polite applause was finished before he continued, “This article is introducing Ami's best friend: Kurosawa Hisako. It will also feature her friendships and working relationships with Suzume-chan and Aiko-chan. I think you all know what this means in terms of publicity.”

Hisako was still worried that when everyone found out that Ami was friends with her, the result would be a backlash that would ruin Ami’s career. But everyone else suspected that it would only intensify the number of reporters and paparazzi trying to get their own take on the story.

“I’m not sure what the fallout will be.” Ryuuji admitted to them, “If it gets real bad, Hisako-chan may need to end her volunteer work at the school and we may have to arrange escorts to get Suzume-chan and Aiko-chan to school and back.”

“I can take some time off from work if I need to.” Suzume’s sister Umeko offered.

“I’ll do what I can too.” added Minori.

“Me too.” “And me!” “You can count on me, Ryuuji!” even Maya put aside her tiff long enough to add her voice to the chorus of friends that wanted to help.

“I… we appreciate that.” Ryuuji bowed his head to his friends to show his thanks.

“We really do.” Ami added her thanks to their friends.

“The second thing I want to announce is about the Hawaii trip.”

Umeko suddenly looked murderous. She had already told Ryuuji that she didn’t like her little sister being dragged off to some foreign place. And to her, a foreign place was anywhere that a Japanese Shinkansen didn’t go. As the responsible older sister, Umeko had made some pretty stiff stipulations and requirements for her to agree to let Suzume go anywhere for the modeling work. Even though Ryuuji had worked hard and had met all her requirements… Umeko still didn’t like it.

“The official list for the trip is Ami, Hisako, and Suzume, as the models. I am going as the manager. Nanako, Umeki, and Yasuko are going as support staff. Yuri-sensei will be coming along as a teacher. Aiko-chan has a performance slot.”

“Oh you guys,” Maya said, “I’m so jealous!”

“You don’t have to be.” Ryuuji took some satisfaction in telling Noto, Maya, Umeko, and Minori, “I negotiated the travel and I was able to get some really good pricing if you want to join us.”

“What…” Umeko gaped.

“…what are you saying?” Minori finished her question.

“You can all come to Hawaii with us too.” Ryuuji told them, “We’ll be on the same flights and staying in the same hotels… if you want to.”

“YES!” Umeko and Minori jumped in the air in their excitement. The one jump reminded them of two things. The comfortable warm water that they were soaking in was completely unlike the freezing cold air above this open rooftop bath. And of course, they weren’t wearing any clothes. They both returned to the warmth of the water with blazing blushes. Maya would have embarrassed herself as well if it hadn’t been for Noto holding her down. At first she was upset that he would grab her like that, but then she was very very grateful when she saw her naked friends jumping up out of the water.

Now, thinking about this surprise Hawaii trip, both Umeko and Maya had forgotten about any reason for being upset with Ryuuji.

“I would like to make the final announcement.” Ami said.

“Okay,” Ryuuji paused her with a hand gesture, “but first I have to ask that everyone here please keep this last announcement to yourselves. Not even our classmates can know.” He was ready to tell them that he would understand if any of them didn’t feel they could live up to that promise and wanted to leave first, but all of them assented with nodding heads. Turning to Ami, he nodded as well.

The water was just deep enough that everyone could see Ami’s naked body from the waist up when she suddenly stood. She knew her breasts were clearly visible to her assembled friends now, but that’s not where everyone’s attention was. Written in waterproof ink on her still flat belly was a single large kanji character.

Noto’s mouth was the first to fall open but the others quickly followed suit when they interpreted the kanji character for _baby_.

“WHAAAAAAAAT!”


	35. Hitting The Islands

**Monday early afternoon, January 4 – Six Realms of Desire Raman Shop**

* * *

“Welcome to The Six Realms of Desire Raman Shop! What can I getcha?” Minori rattled off the welcome spiel to the new customer before her eyes even focused on who was sitting in front of her at the counter. As soon as her eyes did focus, her already cheerful smile lit up into a face splitting grin. “Umeko! I can't believe it! What brings you out here?” Her smile started to fade though when she saw the frown worn by her new friend and softball idol.

“You do.” Umeko's countenance was between angry and upset. Her black hair was like a dark stormy sky and her sea green eyes were like an angry ocean about to capsize and sink every ship afloat. “Why did you cancel going to Hawaii?”

“I uh… have to work.” Minori was never very good at lying. Her friends all recognized the tell-tale breaks in her speech whenever she tried, “and uh… I don't have the money… so I just can't.”

“I bought your ticket, so the money's not a problem.” Umeko shot down her second excuse. She hadn't had a tropical vacation in a long while and she really wanted to enjoy this trip. Knowing that her sister and everyone else associated with the modeling gig would be busy much of the time, she had been counting on having a friend along to have lots of fun with.

“What?!” Minori's eye's opened wide as Umeko flashed the envelope with the tickets and hotel reservations in front of her.

“Whoa, what's all this Kushieda-san?” the manager was standing behind Minori and peering at the envelope with the vacation get-away tickets. His scratchy voice asked, “You got a chance to go to Hawaii with your friends?”

“Yeah, I was invited, but… but it's too long!” Minori replied to both of them, “They won't be back until the thirteenth!”

“You mean _you_ won't be back until the thirteenth!” the manager roared. His hands were on his hips and he was looking down on his part-time employee with disbelief.

“But…” Minori tried to protest.

“No!” the store manager was adamant, “I appreciate your work ethic and you're a great help around here but we won't be so busy that the business will fall apart without you. You're only young once and you don't often get chances like this. If you have a chance to go to Hawaii for a week, _you go!_ ”

“Yes…” Minori resigned her battle. Now that she thought about it, the battle was never winnable in the first place. On the one side, she was alone, and her reasons for wanting to stay behind were vague enough that she didn't really understand them herself. On the other side was… just about everyone she knew.

.

Less than a minute later, Minori was walking out of The Six Realms of Desire Raman Shop with Umeko. She had an envelope with her pay that the manager had been kind enough to give her a few days early.

“Wow,” Umeko was still a little shocked at how things had unfolded, “I was prepared to argue with you myself. I had no idea your boss would get so…”

“Yeah, he can get riled up sometimes.” Minori decided that she had to know… her voice, that always sounded as if it was on the verge of laughter, became unusually serious as she asked, “Did Ryuuji ask you to do this?”

“No,” Umeko sounded surprised, “Ami called me, but she didn't ask me to do anything. She was just letting me know that you, Kihara-san, and Hisamitsu-san wouldn't be coming.”

“Noto-kun and Maya-chan aren't coming?” Minori wondered what excuse they had used that didn't cause Ami to send out a goon squad for them.

“No,” Umeko was pulling out her phone and looking up a number while she said, “Seems that they have a big meeting with the Hisamitsu family about their wedding coming up.

“Hey,” Umeko looked up from her phone to ask a serious question, “Does Ami-chan even like you? She kept calling you _muscle-head_ when we were on the phone.”

“Yeah.. heh heh… she's a real kidder!” Minori tried to brush it off but she could tell that Umeko wasn't letting this drop.

“Seriously, Minori.” Umeko demanded.

“Well, ha ha ha. She might have a reason to call me that.” Minori tried to laugh her way out of an answer at first, but decided that it would be better for her friend to know the whole thing from the beginning, “Last year, I did something pretty stupid…”

.

**Monday night, January 4 – Train station**

* * *

It was already dark in the chilly winter evening as Ryuuji waited for the last of the group to arrive. The night's humidity helped the cold January air cut right through all the layers of clothes he was wearing. His fingers were becoming numb in the new leather gloves that Kawashima Anna had given him as a Christmas present. The gloves were beautifully crafted and looked extremely fashionable, but right now he would have traded them in on something made for skiing or arctic camping. Still, he had to admit that they did look good on him. Taking his eyes off the gloves, he rubbed his hands together and peered through the evening gloom again for any sign that the last of his charges had arrived. From his position at the top of the steps, Ryuuji finally saw Suzume and Umeki walking towards the station. Taking the steps three at a time, he clutched the bag in his hands and moved quickly to intercept them.

“Good evening, Ryuuji-sama!” both the girls called out as he got close to them. They had been talking to each other and hadn't noticed the urgency in his approach.

“Hey!” he answered quickly. He took Suzume's suitcase and handed her the bag he was carrying, “Put these on.”

“Huh?” Suzume pulled a floppy sun hat and a pair of sunglasses out of the bag, “What's this about?”

“You got a copy of the magazine that came out on the first, right?” Ryuuji said quietly.

“Yes!” both girls suddenly sounded excited.

“I got a copy for my sister!” Suzume squealed.

“And I got a copy for my parents.” Umeki chirped.

“Do you remember what the headline on the cover of the magazine was? Ryuuji asked them.

“Yeah,” Umeki recalled, “it was _Meet Ami's Best Friends_ , and there was a really good picture of Ami-chan, Hisako-chan, and Suzume-chan!”

“Did you really like the picture?” Suzume asked her friend. She had liked the picture too but she worried that it might make her look a bit presumptuous to be on such equal footing with two models that were so much more successful than her.

“Of course!” Umeki's eyes were dangerously close to glazing over, “All three of you are so beautiful!”

“Yes, yes! It was a good picture.” Ryuuji didn't want to sound harsh but this was important, “But the article caused quite a bit of an uproar and we have to try and hide your identity between here and the airport. So I want you to wear this so you won't stand out.”

“But, Ryuuji-sama,” Umeki asked while Suzume looked curiously at the hat and sunglasses, “I thought it was a good thing for Suzume-chan to be famous and have fans?”

“It is a good thing.” Ryuuji agreed, then explained to Suzume's short friend, “But not everyone who is looking for them is a fan, and not every fan is safe.”

“Hrmpf!” Suzume couldn't help but start giggling.

“Suzume, I'm serious!” Ryuuji didn't want to scare the two younger girls by telling them that there had already been threats against Hisako… more than the usual ill wishes. And even Ami had got a number of worrisome phone calls to her public number.

“Oh, I believe you,” Suzume managed to stop snickering long enough to explain, “it's just that… it's so late. It’s totally dark out, and… it's winter.”

“So?” Ryuuji took a step back as he tried to figure out how that related to the issue of their safety.

“You want me to wear a sun hat and sunglasses in the winter… in the dark…” Suzume almost lost it in laughter but pulled herself together so she could finish her thought, “… so I _don't_ stand out? Oh Ryuuji-sama, that's hilarious!”

Ryuuji wore only a defiant pout as both the middle school girls now dissolved into laughter. Standing with arms folded and trying not to blush, he watched as she put on the requested disguise and then had to admit defeat to himself. At least now he knew why Hisako had been laughing.

“I guess you're right,” Ryuuji said through the hand he now had over his face. Turning back to the train station steps he said, “even with that ridiculous disguise, you're so pretty you're still going to attract attention anyway.”

_Th-thump!_

Suzume stopped laughing. Her face was frozen, but not from the cold January morning. _Did he just say…_

… _you're so pretty…_

 _Dammit Ryuuji!_ Suzume wanted to scream just now but her body was still frozen in place. _Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! You can't say that to me! I get stupid ideas in my stupid head when you say that! You can't… you just can't!_ A single tear started down her cheek as she stood frozen in the cold winter morning. Before she realized what was happening, a gentle hand was daubing the tear from her face with a tissue.

“It's okay Suzume-chan.” Umeki smiled up at her tall friend, “He's right, you know. You are the prettiest girl in the whole school!”

“Thanks.” Suzume blushed at her friends compliment, “But that's not what I'm worried about.”

“I know what you're worried about.” Umeki smiled as she took her friend's hand and gave it a knowing squeeze.

“Uh, you do?” Suzume said nervously.

“I know you're a good girl,” Umeki said confidently, “you'll do the right thing.”

 _But, what is the right thing?_ Suzume was still nervous, but she hid it beneath the floppy hat, the sunglasses, and the melancholic smile.

.

**Monday night, January 4 – Narita Airport, Tokyo**

* * *

The train to the airport wasn't as heavily loaded as Ryuuji had feared. Then again, schools were still out for their winter vacation, and it was already pretty late in the day. So, even though the sunglasses and sun hats looked silly, Ryuuji's preparations seemed to have paid off. The airport ended up being easy too. It turns out that most people in an airport are too concerned with getting somewhere quickly; they just don’t have the time to worry about someone else wearing unseasonal clothes. Besides, once they were inside the airport, who is to say that the hat and glasses wouldn't be appropriate for a traveler's destination. It would certainly be appropriate for someone going to…

“Ha-wa-ii! Ha-wa-ii! Ha-wa-ii!” Ryuuji’s jaw dropped when he heard the chanting go up in the airport terminal. He was about to chastise the girls for drawing attention to themselves when they were almost safely on the plane. Then he noticed that everyone around him was doing the chant as well. Sometimes, being tall had it’s advantages - and this was one of those times. Ryuuji could see over most of the people in front of him and caught sight of the Japan Airlines ladies dressed up in Hula skirts and cheering the crowd on. They were doing some kind of swaying dance that was getting everyone’s attention as other employees were handing out brightly colored lei’s to the gathering passengers.

“Thank you everyone! Thank you for flying on Japan Airlines to Hawaii!” a voice called out, “We will be boarding soon but I just want to let everyone know about the magic of flying to Hawaii from Japan. On this flight we will be flying against the sun and crossing the international date line. What that means is, even though we will be taking off at ten o’clock at night on Monday, the fourth of January, we will be landing in Hawaii at ten o’clock in the morning on Monday, the fourth of January!”

“Huh?” Suzume looked over to Ami, “How can we get there before we leave?”

“Physics and time zones,” Ami knew she couldn’t explain it, but she did know how to make it look like she could, “Being a model is fun, but make sure you pay attention to your classes too.”

“Speaking of classes,” Hisako asked, “where is your illustrious sensei?”

“She’s already there.” Ryuuji explained, “The Major just went back to Okinawa a few days ago so it cost less for her to just stay in a hotel and wait for us than to fly home and right back to Hawaii just a few days later.”

“Oh, that poor dear,” Hisako said with sympathy that reeked of jealousy, “Having to stay in Hawaii for a few days by herself. It must have been… awful for her.”

Ryuuji was about to defend Yuri and tell Hisako just how hard he had to argue to get her to agree to the arrangements he had set up. The defense was unnecessary though. Nanako’s lilting voice beat Ryuuji to the punch.

“Hisako-san,” Nanako seemed almost apologetic as she said, “you should let me know if I have become tiresome. If you need time to yourself, I can go off with Kushieda-san and give you all the alone-time that you need.”

“WHAT?!” The implication of what she had just said sank in and Hisako then realized how that might have sounded to Nanako. She gasped at the mental image of Nanako walking away from her after one-too-many hurtful words. “I didn’t mean… I wasn’t saying… that’s not…” Hisako’s panic ended when she hung her head in acknowledged defeat and apologized, “I’m sorry Nanako-chan, I wasn’t thinking again. Please… please don’t leave me alone.”

“Jeeeez,” Ami whispered as she leaned into Ryuuji, “and people think _you’re_ scary!”

.

Ryuuji was stepping out of the small bathroom and heard two of the flight attendants talking around the corner in the small in-flight galley.

“I’m telling you, it’s her!” a whispered voice urged.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” a calmer voice tried to reason, “every flight you see someone that looks like a celebrity…”

“She doesn’t just look like a celebrity.” the first voice pleaded, “I’m telling you… that girl is definitely Kawashima Ami.”

“Excuse me,” Ryuuji entered the galley behind the shorter stewardess that had just been pleading her case. “Could I get a coffee and two Mimosas?”

“I can get you the coffee, but I’ll need to see some ID to give you a Mimosa.” the calmer attendant smiled at Ryuuji knowingly.

“Oh, it’s not for me.” Ryuuji hoped he was keeping his expression neutral as he said, “The Mimosas are for Kurosawa Hisako and the lady sitting behind her.”

All three of the flight attendants were suddenly in the aisle and looking back at the seats along the left side of the plane.

“Kurosawa Hisako…” the identity of the tall, raven haired girl sank in and the short attendant realized, “That means… that means the article is true?”

“Kurosawa Hisako huh?” the calm flight attendant was still non-plussed by the celebrities. “Okay, she’s okay, but there’s no way the girl behind her is old enough to drink.”

“I’m pretty sure she is.” Ryuuji said confidently.

“Oh?” the calm attendant raised an eyebrow at the scary looking teenager – but didn’t seem at all scared, “Why is that?”

“She’s my mom.” Ryuuji said simply.

“WHAT?!”

.

**Tuesday morning, January 5 – Hotel Molokai**

* * *

Ami felt a soft warm breeze stir her hair and caress her skin. Even with no alarm clock, her body was reluctantly waking up on its own. The air was scented with sea salt and flowers. Giving in to her body’s urge to wake up, she took a deep breath and her eyes slowly fluttered open. What she saw was pleasant, if not familiar. An entire wall of her bedroom was missing and there was an unexpected ocean in her back yard. _Oh yeah, I’m in Hawaii._ Gazing through the mostly transparent gauzy curtains that slowly swayed in the gentle tropical breeze, Ami watched the long lines of white capped waves on the wide blue ocean, as they slowly advanced toward the bright sandy shore. Ryuuji was cuddled up behind her, with his hand resting gently on her belly.

_Our baby._

Ami slid her own hand over Ryuuji’s big hand that covered her. She wondered how much longer she would be able to model and how much longer they would be able to keep her condition a secret from the general public. These weren’t concerns that worried her. Rather, she wondered when she could end all this silly secrecy and tell the whole world that she was married to Ryuuji and that they were going to have a baby… a family of their own to love forever and ever.

The smile didn’t quite turn into a frown as she came back to Earth, but the feeling of elation and joy was lost nonetheless. She knew that it was all a dream world. In the real world, her life was about to turn into an impossible juggling act… and it was all her own fault. They were both supposed to be starting college in three months. Her modeling career was taking off. Her singing opportunity looked promising. Her mother thought she had a good chance at getting into acting soon. And now, she was going to have a baby in the midst of all that. _What was I thinking?_ Any one of those paths would be a full time gig, but to entertain the idea of doing all of them… _What am I thinking?_

 _And I’m dragging Ryuuji into all of this…_ Ami worried that the stress could be too much. She should have stuck to the plan that she had agreed to with Yasuko when she conspired to get him accepted into a university. But one thing let to another and before she knew it… they were both so busy.

 _But at least we’re not bored._ Ami thought about how much time she had spent being bored in the last two years. Even before she had quit modeling to go back to school and get away from that stalker, she had been bored a lot and wished for… something to happen in her life. _It must have been boring for Ryuuji too._ She felt that she had finally come to understand what his life was like before last year. With all the other kids afraid of him, his only friend for years had been his mother… and his imagination. After going through everything in the Minori-box several times, she knew that he had an incredible imagination. He must have developed it as a survival mechanism when there was no-one to play with… no-one even to talk to. She knew that he had craved friends since he was a child. So, it was obvious that he wasn’t comfortable being alone all the time. But, there was such a thing as going too far. _Have I involved him in too m_ _any things_ _?_ _He’s handling it now, but for how much longer? Am I pushing too much? Am I…_ She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard Ryuuji’s voice in her ear.

“Wow, that is really a beautiful view.” Ryuuji’s hand softly caressed her as he spoke.

“Oh?” Ami glanced up to see where he was looking this time. “The ocean, or me?”

“Yes.” Ryuuji answered and nibbled on her ear. “I think I’m hungry.”

“The hotel has a breakfast buffet. They also have room service if you want something else.” Ami offered.

“I’m pretty sure what I want isn’t on the menu.” Ryuuji moved to let Ami lie on her back beside him.

“Oh?” Ami was already missing the warmth and comfort of feeling Ryuuji’s body next to hers… but not for long.

“I want Ami-chan for breakfast.” he growled as he moved over her. Then, as his body lowered to hers and his lips contacted her sensitive neck, he said, “I’m digging in.”

“Ah!” Ami cried out in welcome delight as her arms and legs wrapped around her amorous husband. Nagging doubts and fears fled like darkness from the sunlight on a cloudless day. They would be back; the doubts and fears could never be permanently banished. But they would not be as strong next time, and they would continue to get weaker every time he touched her. “Yes, touch me Ryuuji!”

Ryuuji knew better than to leave a mark on her perfect skin right before a photo shoot. But he also knew where the most sensitive places on her neck were. He used them to fill her with the euphoria that would imbue her with energy and banish whatever had given her the doldrums on this otherwise perfect morning.

.

The pristine beach by the hotel was a beautiful sight all it’s own. But this afternoon, there was an extra treat for anyone lucky enough to be walking by. Nanako, Umeki, Yuri, Aiko-chan, Yasuko, Umeko, and Minori were laying out in beach loungers and soaking up the warmth of the Hawaiian sun. Nanako had been insistent that they all put on sunscreen appropriate to their skin type, and she also insisted that they wear the bikini’s that she had made for them. Yasuko agreed immediately, but others wouldn't accept the handmade gifts until they had Nanako's solemn promise that this swim-wear would not disintegrate in water. Everyone was impressed that the bikini’s fit so well, but having seen Nanako’s skills at making the wedding dresses for both Ami and Yuri, it wasn’t too unexpected.

Nanako’s own bikini was a dark purple that matched her hair. The colors of the garments she had made for her friends matched them as well. Minori’s bikini was pink to match her hair. Umeko’s was a sea green to match her eyes. Yasuko’s was a very light yellow to match her blond hair. Aiko-chan’s swim suit was an orange-gold that went well with her hair. Yuri’s, Umeki’s, Suzume’s and Ami’s were dark red, black, bright red, and blue – to match their individual hair colors as well. But, Hisako’s bikini was white.

“Why… why is mine white?” Hisako wondered why hers didn’t match either her eyes or her hair like everyone else's. _Did Nanako not care enough to make mine special like she did for everyone else?_

“Because I think you look so good in white.” Nanako answered innocently, “Why, is there a problem?”

“No!” Hisako turned to hide her blush, “No problem.” Hisako immediately made a mental note to start getting more white things in her wardrobe.

Having been subjected to Nanako and Hisako’s little trick the night before her wedding, Yuri was a little surprised that, apart from the distinctive colors, the design of the swim-wear was fairly conservative. When Nanako called everyone together and told them that she had made them a bikini, Yuri had half expected to see a g-string or a thong, but both the bottoms and the tops were quite normal… for a bikini. She still felt self conscious wearing such an audacious thing in public. But Yasuko’s exercise regimen had got her into the best shape she had been in her life, and after all… this was Hawaii! Such had been her determination when she put on the two piece swim suit. She was fine while she was examining herself in the full length mirror. The concern hit her like a bucket of cold water when she faced her room-mate and saw the look of unease on Yasuko’s face.

“What?” Yuri looked down at her belly and wondered if there was an unsightly paunch or stretch-mark that she hadn’t noticed.

“Oh honey, that won’t do.” Yasuko said as she reached into her bag and pulled out an electric epilator.

“Huh?” Yuri still didn’t understand until she saw all the dark curly hair sticking out from the edges of the brilliantly colored bikini bottoms.

“This will just take a minute.” Yasuko assured her friend.

“No, that’s okay… I’ve changed my mind” Yuri started to panic as her friend approached her with the fiendish looking device in her hand. “Onee-chan, I don’t want… I don’t want to wear the bikini any more!”

Outside the room, Umeki and Aiko-chan were about to check and see if Onee-chan and the teacher wanted to join them for breakfast when they heard a commotion from the other side of the door.

Thump! “Ooof!”

“No! No! No! No!”

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

“AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Onee-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!”

“I’m sure they’re okay.” Umeki assured a concerned Aiko-chan as she withdrew her hand from the door-knob, “But, let’s not bother them now.” Both the girls decided that Onee-chan and Yuri-sensei might need a little time before they came down for breakfast.

That had been hours ago but the memory of that horrible little machine was still fresh in Yuri’s mind.

“Stop rubbing it so much.” Umeko warned her.

“But… it still hurts.” Yuri whined as she blushed. She hadn’t realized that she had been rubbing it and certainly hadn’t thought that anyone noticed when she did.

“So you got a close shave in an intimate place,” Umeko chided Yuri in the same way that she would often speak to her little sister, “don’t be such a baby.” Her eyes opened wide behind the sunglasses she was wearing as soon as the words left her mouth and she realized she had just criticized a teacher.

“It wasn’t a shave.” Yuri grumped, “Onee-chan used an epilator on me.”

“Eh?” Everyone but Yuri, Yasuko and Aiko-chan suddenly sat up in their loungers and looked at the place between Yuri’s legs as if they could suddenly see through the bikini bottom.

“Hey, stop it guys.” Yuri blushed, covered herself with her hands and crossed her legs.

“What’s an epilator?” Aiko-chan asked.

“It’s a machine that gets rid of unwanted hair by pulling it out…” Minori explained, “by the roots.”

“Ouch!” Aiko-chan gasped. Not being old enough to have hair anywhere else, she could only imagine the heinous machine attacking her head – and she definitely didn’t want that!

“That’s kinda mean, isn’t it Onee-chan?” Umeko asked.

“I don’t think so.” Yasuko told them, “I use it on myself all the time. It’s no big deal. It lasts longer than a shave and it makes the skin super soft and baby smooth!”

 _Super soft and b_ _aby smooth?_ All of the girls that had sat up were now wondering if it might not be something they could do too. Eventually, they all settled back down into their loungers to bask in the mid-day sun. After a while, even Yuri stopped fidgeting and was able to relax in the warmth of the sun and the distant sound of the crashing waves.

“I thought Minori and I would end up being alone most of the time.” Umeko commented from the beach lounger as she watched a couple of puffy clouds passing across the otherwise unblemished blue sky.

“They had to get to the shoot location by helicopter.” Yasuko explained, “They only had room for Mr. Manager and the models.”

“Which means,” Umeki commented, “they’re probably running him ragged if he’s doing all the stuff we usually do for them.”

“Poor baby,” Nanako laughed, “being at the beck and call of three gorgeous models… how will he survive?”

“He’ll be fine.” Yasuko either didn’t get Nanako’s sarcasm or chose to ignore it and end this line of thought by saying confidently, “My Ryu-chan can handle it.”

“I’m sure he can.” Yuri agreed, “I don’t mind at all. I could stay here for the rest of the trip and that would be fine.”

“Um… you know we’re leaving tonight, right?” Minori asked. Being a ball player, it was always important to know the itinerary and keep up with any changes. One of the first things she did, even before she left the airport in Tokyo, was to get a copy from Ryuuji and memorize it. To her great thrill, Umeko did the same thing.

“What?” Yuri sounded crestfallen, “I though we were staying until the eleventh!”

“We are leaving here tonight.” Umeko explained, “They will be finished shooting on Molokai, so we will be heading to Hawaii, where they will have a shoot on the black sand beaches.”

“I thought this was Hawaii?” Aiko-chan asked.

“These are the Hawaiian Islands.” Yuri explained, “They are named after the biggest island, but the one we are on now is called Molokai.”

“Before we go home, we’ll also go to Maui, Kauai, and Oahu.”

“Oh no…” Yuri covered her face with both hands.

“What’s wrong?” Yasuko asked.

“I just put all of my stuff away and stored my luggage.” Yuri thought about how she had wasted some of her morning, “Now I have to pack up all over again!”

“Your teacher is kind of ridiculous.” Umeko whispered to Minori.

“Huh?” Minori would have reacted defensively if anyone else had said that about Yuri, but she at least wanted to know why Umeko would say such a thing before she responded.

“She seems to get emotional very easily.” Umeko explained her comment, “Just since we sat down here she’s been close to tears about her bikini trim, and now about having to pack her suitcase.”

“Yeah,” Minori decided she couldn’t defend this. Her memory went back to the previous year when Yuri-sensei was freaking out that she didn’t have a boyfriend… “She’s getting a lot better though.”

This is better? Umeko wondered just how bipolar Yuri must have been previously. Knowing that she didn’t understand all of Yuri’s circumstances, Umeko let it drop. _After all, girls can certainly react emotionally to strange circumstances._

.

**Wednesday, January 6 – Tokushima Prefecture Japan**

* * *

Noto was still awake as the train finally entered the Prefecture of his families largest estate. The Hisamitsu House was up in the hills and would be still another hour of driving even after they finally got off this train. Maya was asleep on his right and Shinako was asleep on his left as the almost empty train car sped through the night. He didn’t blame them. It was an awfully long journey by train, which was one of the reasons Noto never really cared to make this trip. Sure, he had come out here several times with the rest of his family when he was a child. But there had been no recent trips… not since he had started High School.

He grimaced when he though about how unnecessary this trip was. It was tradition that the prospective spouse would come out to the estate and meet with the family. Agreements between families would be made and the marriage would be approved. But all that was irrelevant now. Maya had no significant family to bargain with and she already had the approval of family members and Obasama. Noto wondered if there was some hidden agenda to this… was someone in the family trying to make him look bad or were they trying to scare Maya off? Looking to his left, he saw the calm sleeping face of his cousin Shinako and felt some comfort there. Shinako was still Obasama’s right hand and she had assured him that there was nothing amiss. This was just a formality to plan the wedding and it would soon be over. She assured him that it would take only two or three days at the most.

 _Two or three days?_ It seemed like an eternity to Noto. He hadn’t liked being cooped up in this place as a child and he doubted he would like it any better now. It was a stuffy old house filled with stuffy old people. _That wasn’t nice!_ Noto scolded himself. Obasama was the oldest person that Noto knew and he did not want to think of her that way.

For a moment, he recalled a summer memory of playing in a mountain stream with Noriko…

_Noriko… blood… knife... Pain!_

Noto put his hand over his chest as the painful memory of that dreadful night came back to haunt him. Not for the last time, he wondered how that sweet girl that he had played with so many times could… could… The pain was intense and he groaned as he tried to think of something else.

“Hey,” Maya looked into his eyes, “are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Noto tried to hide the pain that he felt in his chest, “why?”

“You’re crying, silly.” Maya smiled and wiped the tears from her fiancé's face.

“Oh… uh…” Noto was confused for a moment. He had no idea that he had been crying. Remembering some of Ryuuji’s advice, he decided not to keep it bottled up inside. “This place where we’re going… it’s one of the places I went a lot as a kid. There are memories here of Noriko…”

Maya said nothing. She appeared stricken for a moment but the moment passed. Without a word, she leaned into him and kissed his cheek. She held his hand and gave it a squeeze to show her support.

“Thank you for not being angry.” Noto told her.

“Angry?” Maya playfully punched his arm, “Do you trust me, Noto?”

“Yes.” Noto answered quickly. It was true. He trusted her implicitly. He trusted her with his life.

“Then you have to stop holding back.” Maya told him, “You have to tell me everything. Even if you think it’s going to hurt my feelings… you have to tell me. I want to help you and I don’t know how.”

“Everything?” Noto wanted to be sure.

“Yes.” Maya confirmed.

“Even if I think it will hurt your feelings?” Noto wanted to be _very_ sure.

“Yes,” Maya sat back up and asked him, “why? What’s bothering you?”

“Well, you know that bright yellow Uchikake you’ve been looking at for the formal wedding?” Noto hurriedly told her, “I think you should pick something else.”

“Oh?” Maya’s eyes narrowed, “And why is that?”

“Um…” Noto swallowed hard. Telling her the truth was hard, but he had decided to come clean about this, “It makes your… hips… look big.”

“Big?” Maya could feel her blood pulsing through her veins harder now and she knew she was getting upset, “You mean fat. You think I’m fat now?”

“No,” Noto explained, “I do not think you’re fat. But someone else pointed out that the yellow Uchikake made your hips look… big… and ever since it was pointed out, I… had to… agree.”

“Who?” Maya demanded. Her face was looking dangerously red now, but Noto knew he had to press on.

“Haruta.” Noto told her, “his exact words were: _Whoa, the yellow is a bad idea dude. Wide load comin through!_ ”

“What?” Maya almost screamed but she could tell that Noto was doing his best to be honest with her and wasn’t deliberately trying to hurt her. “What… what about the red one… or the blue one?” Maya now regretted ever trying on the yellow garment.

“No no, they all looked fine. It was probably just some kind of weird visual effect with that color on you. I know that you don’t really have fat… big hips, but that color…” Noto trailed off. How could he explain it to her when he couldn’t explain it to himself?

“Fine, the yellow one is out.” Maya decided. Her imagination was running wild now and she imagined herself in a yellow kimono and a butt so big it couldn’t fit through the door. She wondered if that was how she looked to Noto when she was wearing the yellow Uchikake. _How long will it take for Noto to lose that memory? How long will it take to learn how to kill Haruta and hide the body so that it can never be found?_ Maya gave herself a come-back-to-reality shake. _I can’t even blame Haruta. If anything, he is just too honest and has little control over what comes out of his mouth._ _Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! I… I really liked the yellow one._

.

It was dark and cold by the time the three travelers got off the train. Shinako was looking at her phone as they walked through the station with their rolling suitcases. She almost ran into Noto’s back when he had stopped walking. Peering around him, she saw two girls in winter clothes and one of them was holding a sign that said ‘Hisamitsu’ on it.

“I am Hisamitsu Noto,” the younger cousin identified himself to the girls with the sign.

Both of the girls looked at Noto but to Shinako, it appeared that one of them seemed to be scowling and the other was clearly glaring at Noto. She checked her text message and quickly replied while the girls were talking to Noto.

“We have a car ready for you,” the scowling girl said, “please come with us.” They turned and started walking to the station entrance as soon as they saw Maya and Noto reaching for their luggage.

Noto and Maya started to follow the girls but Shinako took their hands and held them back. They turned to see her quietly shaking her head. Moving quickly, she made a final text message and fished something out of her purse. After the two girls had moved several meters away, Shinako decided to speak.

“Ladies,” Shinako called out, “I just got a message that our ride is running an hour late and will meet us at the family restaurant across the street. May I ask who you are and why you were trying to abduct us?”

Maya was startled and looked back at the two girls to see the anger in their faces for the very first time. She chastised herself for not being observant enough. Hisako had once told her that she needed to be more aware of her surroundings and she was right. Thinking more clearly, she now noticed that two men, that had just come into the station, had approached and were now standing directly behind the two girls. As annoying as that raven haired model was, Maya wouldn’t mind having her here right now… or Deena-chan… or both of them.

“We were classmates of Hisamitsu Noriko. All of us that went to the Academy are like sisters to each other.” The taller girl said as she revealed the class ring on her finger that identified her as a graduate of the same girl’s academy that Noriko had been sent to.

“We heard that she is dead… that you killed her.” the shorter girl spat as she pointed at Noto.

“We want justice.” the taller girl didn’t even try to hide her glare now. Both of the girls started to reach into their purses for something but they never got the chance. The two men that had walked up behind them acted at that moment and swept the girl’s legs – sending the girls crashing to the hard concrete floor. By the time they recovered from their falls, they saw that the men had possession of their purses and were dumping the contents out onto the floor. Among the usual contents found in a young woman’s purse, a pair of brightly colored packaging knives also fell to the floor.

“Good work boys,” Shinako stepped forward as the men kicked the knives out of reach.

“You…” the shorter girl spat accusingly, “you said they were running an hour late!”

“I lied.” Shinako told them bluntly. Then, as she unwound the scarf she was wearing to reveal the angry scar on her neck, she told them, “This is the truth though: The story you heard is almost completely wrong. Noriko behaved shamefully and, in the end, no-one was responsible for her death but her.”

“No!” the taller girl started to get up but stopped when Shinako knelt between the girls and thrust out her hand to reveal a familiar looking class ring.

“Before you decide to just discount everything I have said,” Shinako said quietly, “please consider that this testimony comes from another… sister.”

“Eh?” the girls were stunned. Their eyes went from the angry scar to the graduation ring and finally the hatred gave way to despair. The taller girl hung her head and started sobbing. Her comrade was crying too, but was still able to speak.

“Please… can you tell us what really happened?” she begged.

“I have become an important person in the Hisamitsu family and I cannot divulge such an embarrassing family secret… even to a sister.” Shinako stood then and gave them one last warning, “The truth is not that hard to discover though. There are police and hospital records, as well as other witnesses. I will warn you though – the truth is ugly. If you do this, if you discover the truth, it will only tarnish the memory of your friend.”

“So, you’re telling us to drop it?” the shorter girl asked with a bit of her former anger working its way back into her voice.

“No,” Shinako corrected, “I am not telling you to do, or not do anything. I am not even asking. It is only a warning of the pain that the truth sometimes brings.”

While Shinako had been dealing with the two girls on the floor, the two men had come around and picked up all the luggage.

“Now, if you will excuse me?” Shinako gave the girls a wan smile as she stood, “We will be on our way.” They girls still had not got up from the floor when the Hisamitsu party had turned the corner and started down the steps.

“I didn’t know that you went to the same school as…” Noto was asking while the men loaded their luggage in the trunk of the limousine.

“I didn’t,” Shinako said innocently, “and I never claimed to.”

“But… the ring?” Maya was as confused as Noto.

“I picked that up in a resale shop a month ago.” Shinako told them, “I thought it might come in handy and it was only seven hundred yen.”

“Seven hundred yen for a class ring?” Noto was doubtful. He had recently ordered his own and knew they were a lot more expensive than that paltry amount.

“Seven hundred yen for a used class ring.” Shinako corrected, “They don’t hold their value well.”

Maya figured it out just a little after Noto did. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but of one thing she was certain. Shinako was brilliant. She knew that even if she observed Shinako for a hundred years, she could never have pulled off what Shinako had just done.

“Oh, Shinako-san” Maya put her arms around the shorter but older girl, “I am so glad Noto is going to have you by his side!”

“Not… not just me.” Shinako was momentarily surprised at the sudden show of affection from Maya, “By the time he is ready to take over the family, he will have you, me, and Hisako-san.”

“Oh, right.” Maya remembered the plans that had previously been discussed with Obasama.

“When that day comes,” a smile curled on Shinako’s lips, “he will be unstoppable.”

.

**Wednesday, January 6 – Hawaii**

* * *

The location for the photo shoots would not be as remote on the islands of Hawaii and Maui. Unlike Molokai, the group had been able to go together. The friends assisted where they could until the models were done working. The photography director had been impressed when he saw all the friends working so diligently. He admitted to Ryuuji that he had initially thought of them as nothing more than tag-alongs and hangers-on trying to get a free vacation. After Ryuuji told him that two of the girls had paid their own money to come with them, the director immediately apologized and vowed to try and include the friends in the rest of the trips activities.

The shots of the girls against the black sand beaches of Hawaii had made for some incredible contrasts. There was talk of driving closer to the island’s active volcano to see the angry earth bubbling molten rock, but the sulphuric smell of the lava flow made Nanako and Aiko-chan feel sick. When the two girls were feeling down that they made everyone else miss out on something fun, Ami comforted them with her thoughts.

“I’m glad we’re not going.” Ami said defiantly.

“Why?” Ryuuji wondered. He personally had wanted to see the red glowing cracks in the rocky barren landscape.

“With all the natural disasters that we’ve dealt with in the last year,” Ami opined, “we do not need to be tempting fate by getting close to an active volcano.”

Even if she wasn’t serious, the comment made everyone remember how lucky they had been and suddenly, not getting to see a lava flow seemed like a trivial thing. Yuri started laughing first, then Yasuko. Nanako and Aiko-chan forgot their embarrassment and soon joined in the good spirits with everyone else.

.

**Thursday, January 7 – Maui**

* * *

The girls posed in clear mountain streams and with the backdrops of tall natural rocky spires in the big valley region of Maui. It had started off as a beautiful day in the valley, but the afternoon rains forced them to stop in mid-day and head back to the hotel. Just about everyone was thrilled with that decision. Except for the one day right after they had arrived, when they had all been able to relax on the beach, this had not been a very relaxing vacation. Then again, even on that fondly remembered day on Molokai, it hadn’t been everyone that got a chance to relax.

Several of their friends suddenly felt guilty and selfish when they realized that Ryuuji, Ami, Hisako, and Suzume had not had even had that much time to relax. They had been working as models from the moment they arrived.

“Hey, Mr. Director.” Minori called out to the director as he was leaving the hotel’s restaurant with some of the crew. Umeko and Yasuko were with Minori; the three girls were on their way to bring drinks out to their friends resting under the big beach umbrellas just a little ways from the hotel.

“Oh… Kushieda-san isn’t it?” The director was proud of his ability to remember names.

“Yes,” Minori was a little impressed, but she had been helping them out on two of the shoots so far so it wasn’t too surprising that he remembered her name. After all, she could memorize all the players on her team after a single introduction. “I was wondering if Ryuuji and the models are going to get a chance to relax too. I mean…”

“I know what you mean.” the director smiled, “I can see that you really are their friend, but remember that this isn’t a vacation for them. This is their job. This is the life of a model – you get to go to interesting places… and work.”

“Oh… I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way.” Minori admitted. She didn’t want to admit it but he was right.

“Look,” the director could see the unhappiness in the faces of these friends and tried to make them feel a little better, “Things are going to be different on this next shoot. Your friends can relax a little when we get to Kauai.”

“Oh?” Minori was hopeful.

“We’ll be there for two days and the goal is a little different.” he explained, “We’ll need to do a few specific things and be in specific places, but the goal will be to try and catch the models in natural poses while they are enjoying themselves.”

“Oh, that sounds great!” Minori was thrilled that her friends would be able to enjoy themselves at least to that extent. “I can’t wait to tell them!”

The director and two of his assistants watched as the three girls hurried off. The assistants frown did not match the directors smile though.

“Uh… sir?” the tall slender assistant reminded his boss, “That wasn’t the plan for Kauai at all.”

“It is now.” he told his assistants without turning to them, “It’s the new plan. Find all copies of the old plan and have them shredded.”

“Yes boss!” both assistants replied.

.

**Friday morning, January 8 – Hotel Yamada Kauai**

* * *

“All right, here’s how it’s going to happen,” the assistant had called a meeting with everyone but Ryuuji and the models, “For us to have this kind of shoot, our photographers are going to need to have complete freedom with their shots. And that means, release statements!” he passed the forms out to everyone in the room and was ready to field questions and complaints but none were forthcoming. In fact, they all seemed pretty eager to do whatever they could to help. He wondered if he could push it a little bit as he told them, “We might also want you to do some wardrobe changes if it supports what the models are wearing.”

“Oooh, that sounds exciting!” Umeki gushed.

“Now, now...” the assistant wanted to temper the excitement, “the things we would ask you to wear are pretty plain compared to what the models will have.”

“That’s okay,” Yuri said, “even your plain stuff is pretty exciting to me!”

“What are you, a school teacher?” the assistant snarked.

“Yes.” Yuri replied even though she felt insulted.

“Eh?” the assistant didn’t understand.

“She is a beloved high school teacher, and she is our friend.” Yasuko said as she returned all the filled-out forms, “She is always kind and compassionate… but I am not.”

“Huh?” the assistant jerked his eyes from Yuri to the blond that was talking to him.

“So, unless you want to go back to your boss with my hand-print on your face…” Yasuko’s demeanor was still cheerful but the assistant could swear he could see storm clouds and lightning gathering in the glare of the buxom blond’s eyes.

“I’m sorry!” his bow was quick, if a little unsteady. The words were also so rushed that they sounded run together, but it was clear that he was truly embarrassed about the faux pas.

“Whoa!” Umeko remembered the savage tickling she had seen Onee-chan give, when they first met. But she had never seen her angry before. “So scary. I didn’t know she had that in her.”

“Oh yes,” Aiko-chan smiled as she remembered the day that Onee-chan took charge of withdrawing her from the school where she had been bullied so much, “making Onee-chan angry is not a good idea.

.

The beach shoot went well. The sky was a uniform blue and the water was crystal clear. Droplets of splashed water sparkled in the sunlight like diamonds. Near the broad, palm tree bordered beach were a series of caves with sandy bottoms and the clear water was no deeper than Aiko-chan’s hips. In one of the caverns, the roof of the cave had fallen in and the sun shone through an opening into the glittering water below and created ever changing mosaics of light on the dark cavern walls. With the glowing water at their feet and the shifting patterns of light behind them, these shots looked as if they had been photo-edited by a special effects team.

This had indeed turned out to be more like a vacation than work. Ryuuji, Ami, Hisako, and Suzume got to do all the things that a beach trip was famous for. They played volleyball on the sandy beach, splashed each other in the shallow surf, explored the caves, and buried each other in the sand. The photographers were everywhere and catching everything, yet staying back far enough not to get in the way of the fun. Some of the pictures had the models with their friends. They captured Hisako taking a break on a lounger with Nanako and Suzume and Umeki running through the shallow water while holding Aiko-chan’s hands. Other pictures didn’t even involve the models but a good photographer knows a good shot when he sees it. There were pictures of Ryuuji and Nanako working side by side at the grill to make food for everyone, several pictures of Yuri hosting an impromptu lecture on the formation of littoral sea caves, some of a smiling Yasuko holding a sleepy Aiko-chan.

The director was smiling as they packed up to leave for the day; if the comments from his photographers were right, they got some very good shots in the more natural and relaxed setting of the models relaxing and having fun. Sure, some of the friends were in the backgrounds, but that sort of shot had its own merit too. As he looked at the rainbow of colored bikini’s that the friends were all wearing now, he wished that he had thought of doing the black beach shots this way. _Then again, we’re not selling those colorful bikini’s…_ _They look nice though,_ _I wonder where they got them?_

.

**Saturday morning, January 9 – Hotel Yamada Kauai**

* * *

“Horses?” Yuri gaped as she looked at the variety of horses in front of her. She didn’t hate horses… after the accident the previous summer, she was afraid of them though.

“Is there a problem?” the director asked.

“Ah, you see…” Ryuuji took the director away from the group to make a quick explanation and see if they might be able to come up with an alternative.

While they were talking, Yuri was startled when the nose of a horse brushed against her arm. The movement had been so gentle that she wasn’t at all frightened. When she looked at the horse, she saw only a calm serenity in the gentle brown eyes. The coat looked like a white horse that someone had splashed brown paint here and there. Without thinking, Yuri reached out and petted the gentle looking creature. Others were surprised, but Yuri took it naturally when the horse rubbed against her hand like a cat would.

“I’ll ride this one!” Yuri found herself saying.

“Yuri-sensei, are you sure?” Ryuuji was stunned that she would take the chance again.

“Yes,” Yuri petted the long face of the horse again and told him, “I feel safe with this one.”

Not wanting to lose the opportunity, everyone was loaded up as quickly as possible.

As the group was riding towards one of the natural parks, Yuri discovered that she felt comfortable on this horse. She was a bit surprised by this since she hadn’t felt comfortable on the horses before… even before the accident.

“What is the horses name?” Yuri asked aloud. She continued petting her horses neck as she heard her question re-asked in English.

#Tornado# the English speaking handler replied.

“Um…” the assistant said nervously, “the translation is ‘Tranquility’.”

“I am an English teacher,” Yuri replied coarsely, “I know perfectly well what a tornado is.”

.

Despite the horse’s name reflecting chaos and destruction, it continued to be a pleasant ride for Yuri into the nature park, through the hilly trails, and finally – to the waterfall. This wasn’t a high waterfall, but it was very wide. There was enough room for their entire class to stand under the falling water. While everyone else was climbing down off their horses and stripping down to their swim suits to go play in the crystal clear watter off the waterfall pool, Yuri sat on Tornado and and just stared at the view. It was like one of those postcards that had a view that was too beautiful to be real. Leaning forward in her saddle, Yuri hugged the horse around his long neck.

“Thank you Tornado.” Yuri’s only wish was that the Major could be here with her as she praised the horse again, “Thank you for bringing me to this beautiful place.”

.

**Sunday morning, January 10 – Hotel Yamada Honalulu**

* * *

Ami awoke without the comforting feeling of Ryuuji's warm body next to her. She had become accustomed to that feeling and the absence was unsettling. Looking around the room, she saw him standing out on the balcony. Putting on the silky black chemise, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and lay her head against his back.

“What are you doing up?” Ryuuji asked as he put his hand on hers.

“That's my question.” Ami pouted, “I woke up to an empty bed and I didn't like it.”

“Somebody's sounding spoiled.” Ryuuji chuckled.

“So, you don't want me to miss you when you're not there?” Ami smirked.

“Uh…” Ryuuji had to admit that he didn't want that either, “all right, you win.”

“So, why are you up?” Ami asked.

“I woke up thinking about Noto and Maya.” Ryuuji told her.

“You're worried about them?” Ami wondered.

“Not so much that.” Ryuuji told her, “They're not here because they are getting ready for their formal wedding. That got me thinking about us.”

“Oh?” Ami moved around so that she was inside his arms.

“Yeah…” Ryuuji had been thinking about the right way to say this but hadn't come up with anything. In the end, he would do what he did when he didn't give a lot of thought and just blurt it out, “I know it means a lot to your mother, but maybe… maybe we shouldn't do it. Maybe we should cancel the public wedding.”

“Why?” Ami felt a spike of rage when he suggested canceling the wedding but she decided to hear what his reasoning was before clawing his eyes out.

“I'm worried what it might mean to your career.” Ryuuji told her, “Being married to a nobody…”

“You're not a nobody to me.” Ami countered. “If they don't like it, too bad.”

“You could lose your fan base over this.” Ryuuji tried to reason with her.

“Then I'll give it all up and be your beautiful house wife.” Ami said defiantly.

“Ami, I'm serious.” Ryuuji insisted.

“So am I.” Ami was just as insistent.

“The modeling, singing, acting… you could lose it all.” Ryuuji said.

“I don't have a problem with that.” Ami replied.

“I do.” Ryuuji said.

“Huh?” Ami leaned back from the embrace and looked into his eyes. _What are you saying? Am I only important to you if I'm a model?_

“I don't want you to make an emotional decision that you will regret later.” Ryuuji told her, “I know the wedding would make you happy now, but I want you to be happy for a long, long time.”

“I…” Ami could see that he was seriously concerned for her. No matter how much she wanted to tell him that he was being stupid, she couldn't just disregard his feelings like that. Her thrill that his concern was for her happiness was offset by the fact that the concern led him to thinking about canceling the wedding. “I'll talk to my mom and my uncle about it.”

“Okay.” Ryuuji was genuinely surprised. He had been worried that this conversation would make her fighting mad, but she seemed to be thinking about it seriously too.

“But,” Ami demanded, “if they think our chances are at least fifty-fifty, I want the wedding and no arguments from you.” Ami tried to rein in her feelings as _angry_ warred with _happy_ for control of her body.

“All right,” Ryuuji wanted to negotiate for better odds, but he could feel the tension in Ami's body and he knew she was already at her limit. Pushing any more would only result in shouting and tears. Instead, he agreed and pulled her in tight as he ran his fingers through her long blue hair.

“One more thing.” Ami held onto his robe as he held her close, “Don't leave me alone like that. I really don't like it.”

“Leave you alone?” Ryuuji was confused.

“When you get out of bed while I'm still asleep.” Ami pouted, “I wake up cold and lonely and it makes me all grumpy.”

“Hey… are you doing that airhead thing?” Ryuuji had to ask. Her voice and words reminded him of the stupid airhead persona she used when she first came to his school.

“I'm being serious you jerk!” Ami shouted as she hit him in the chest.

“Okay, okay! Sorry.” Ryuuji had a growing concern about Ami. Now she was acting like Taiga.

“So… what's on the agenda for today?” Ami grumped, even though her goal was to change the subject… and the mood.

“Shopping in Honolulu.” Ryuuji told her.

“Shopping!” Ami was instantly in a bubbly mood, “We get to go shopping?”

“Yes,” Ryuuji explained, “It's kind of like the shopping run we did in Tokyo last summer. We hit some specific stores, eat lunch where they tell us, then we should be free for the rest of the day.”

“Shopping! Shopping! Shopping!” Ami danced around Ryuuji back into the bedroom thinking now about getting ready for the day. A sudden thought caught her, “Does everyone get to go?”

“That's up to the director,” Ryuuji thought about it, “but, yesterday he told my that he liked the dynamic of you three surrounded by your friends. So, maybe he'll say yes.”

“Yes!” Ami seemed to already assume that the director would allow it, “I've got to go get ready!” Her face was beaming as she rushed off to the bathroom.

Ryuuji remembered something from one of the books he had picked up since his mother had discovered the _Check Once_ wand in the trash. _Mood swings may begin in the first trimester… yeah… this should be fun._


	36. as she is Beautiful

**Sunday late morning, January 10 – Royal Hawaiian Center**

* * *

Ryuuji had always known that Hawaii was a favorite vacation destination for Japanese people. Although, since they had arrived, they hadn't heard anyone but the people in their group speaking Japanese. Part of that could be due to being rushed from one location to another for the photography sessions. Also, they had been fairly isolated in some of the more remote parts of the Islands, so they hadn’t seen a lot of other people.

All of that changed when they got to Honolulu. Even though the city was tiny when compared to Tokyo, the place was bustling with tourists and activity. From the balcony of their skyscraper hotel room, it looked like there were a million people on the wide beach at Waikiki. With that many people on the beach, Ryuuji wondered if there was anyone left to be at the shopping place that the Director had picked out.

But there were. They had barely entered the lavish, tropical themed grounds when they almost ran into a group of Japanese speaking girls on their way out. With a gentle pull by Ryuuji, Ami and Suzume were whisked out of the way and the collision was sidestepped. The tourist girls continued to walk for a few more steps before one of them stopped with a stunned look on her face.

“Oh my gods! It’s Kawashima Ami!” a voice cried out.

Ryuuji looked around quickly for a way out, but the cry had been heard by a lot of people. The crush wasn’t as bad as Ryuuji had feared, however. Even though there were a lot of people there, not all of them were Japanese. And not all the Japanese people seemed to be fans, so only a few dozen people came running over to see the famous girl celebrity.

“Hi everyone!” Ami said with a beaming smile. She had read the mood too and decided to play the _fame_ card. “I hope you are all fans!”

“Oh yes, we love you Ami!” a girl from the group that had identified her gushed. “We have the latest magazine and you’re so awesome!”

Ami was about to thank everyone for buying the magazine with her story when trouble arrived.

“I love you too, Ami!” a large teenage boy said as he pushed his way through the crowd and rushed at Ami. His arms were outstretched and he looked like he was about to grab Ami when his body suddenly impacted an immovable object. All the spectators gasped as they saw him suddenly collapse and fall to the ground where he gasped for air. When everyone looked back up, they saw a tall raven haired woman standing in front of Ami.

“It’s okay to be Ami’s fan, but what you did just now, is not okay.” Hisako had stiff-armed the boy to protect Ami. She had known that Ryuuji was out of position and had reacted instinctively. _Oh no, what have I done?_ Hisako immediately regretted the violence and worried that she might end up making Ami look bad. _I should just_ _go_ _before I make things any worse._ She was turning to leave when Ami reached out and captured her friends arm.

“If you’ve seen the January article, you all know who this is.” Ami said cheerfully to the astonished crowd.

“You’re… you’re Kurosawa Hisako.” A stunned girl answered Ami’s question before the introduction could be completed.

“Then the story is true?” Someone else ventured.

“Of course it’s true!” Suzume cheered, “And I am Ami’s other model friend Minami Suzume.”

“You haven’t seen that much of Suzume yet,” Ami told the crowd as she pulled Hisako in close and also reached out to take Suzume’s arm, “but that’s about to change. Soon, you will be seeing more of Hisako and you will be seeing a lot more of my good friend, Suzume!”

“Can… can I have your autograph?” a young girl asked hopefully.

“N...” Hisako was about to decline and insist that they were too busy since they were there for a shoot.

“Of course!” Ami answered with cheerful showmanship, “All three of us would be thrilled to give autographs to our fans.”

Before Hisako could object, Nanako was next to her – smiling and offering an elaborate looking pen. On the other side of the trio of models, Umeki was offering pens to Ami and Suzume while Ryuuji was standing behind them and speaking quietly with the Director and a Hawaiian policeman. Looking back to the front, she noticed that the collapsed boy was gone now and there seemed to be several local police quietly watching the unplanned event. Hisako was able to relax a little – knowing that Ami would be safe now and they would soon be on their way since most people didn't have anything to sign with them. That would change though: they had only signed about a dozen autographs when one of the Director’s assistants arrived with a local shop employee and a stack of the January issue of the magazine.

.

At the other end of the promenade that ran between the inviting and luxuriant store fronts, a family was coming out of one of the finer restaurants. The father figure was tall back in Japan, but amongst so many western tourists, his height didn’t stand out so much here. For some reason, that gave the teenage daughter immense satisfaction. Of course, she knew she would never be considered tall in any environment except perhaps a children’s day care. Having been at the beach or other outdoor activities in Oahu for the last week, her hair was sun bleached to a sandy blond and her skin was nicely tanned. She didn’t mind the lighter hair, but she thought the darker color of her skin made her look weird. Looking back up at her step-father, she could see that his attention was on something that was going on at the other end of the promenade. She was about to ask him what was so interesting when a six month old child was suddenly thrust into her arms.

“Here,” her mother said bluntly, “hold him for a minute while I find our tickets and passports.” The mother was already digging into her cavernous purse as she delivered her instructions to her diminutive daughter.

“Yes Okasan.” Taiga muttered as she held the little boy close. For once, he wasn’t screaming or being gross and looked kinda cute. “So ototo, you’re being nice now? I wonder how long this will last.” It seemed that all her little brother did was eat, scream, and sleep. Oh yeah, and he was able to make stinky messes at any time… even when he was sleeping. Taiga didn’t bother criticizing her mother for bringing him along though. She knew that there were no neighbors, services, or even relatives that were willing to take responsibility for him while they were away. Yes, he was _that_ troublesome. She also didn’t criticize her mother for having the little brat either. There had been a few times Taiga had seen her usually strong mother break down and cry from the stress of dealing with the difficult infant, but she could also see that her mother loved the child too.

In the beginning, she had quietly left her mother to her tears. But, after her heart softened – and after she knew that her mother didn’t love her any less, she offered to help. Since then, there had been many times that Taiga believed that the kindness and the offer had been a mistake. Now, it seemed that she was continuously being asked to help with her baby brother’s care. She didn’t mind rocking him to sleep or feeding him so much, but changing the diapers… Taiga shook at the memory of the most recent diaper blow-out that she had to deal with. It had been only this morning and had caused her to miss out on hitting the beach one last time before they made ready to leave the hotel. At least he seems to be calm now. With his little head resting gently on her shoulder, she swayed him back and forth to keep him calm and wondered about their future as siblings. Speaking quietly to the yawning child, she asked him, “Will you call me onee-san some day? Considering the difference in our ages, you might as well call me obasan.” A dark thought occurred to her that in a decade or so, he would probably be a dozen or more centimeters taller than her and teasingly calling her onee- _chan_ as a reminder of her diminutive stature. Taiga decided that she did _not_ want to be called onee- _chan_ most of all.

“I’ve got everything.” her mother called out as she held up the tickets and passports. Checking the message on her cell phone, she announced, “The hotel has delivered our luggage to the airline.” Satisfied, she put everything back into her purse, but seemed to be making no effort to take her infant child back.

 _Typical._ Taiga thought dismissively. She considered handing the child back forcefully and claiming that her arms were tired, but that would ruin almost a year’s worth of effort at becoming the _good_ daughter. Instead, she turned her attention on her step-father who was still gazing down the promenade and asked him, “What’s going on down there that’s so interesting?”

“I’m not sure.” he said without taking his eyes off the distant event. “But one of the girls that everyone is gathered around looks like that blue-haired girl you said was in your class last year. Um… Kawaguchi?”

“Kawashima Ami?” Taiga was surprised. _Then again, why wouldn’t Dumb-Chi be in Hawaii? She is a celebrity after all. I wonder how much she would freak out if she saw me in the audience._ Taiga grinned evilly as she then thought: _I wonder how much Dumb-Chi would freak out if she saw me in the audience holding a baby?_

“Would you like to say hello to your friend?” her step-father asked.

Taiga was about to answer when her mother interrupted her thoughts with a gasp.

“Oh Taiga… we have to buy you a new blouse quick!” She seemed in a rush to get them out of there and into a nearby store.

“Why… what?” Taiga knew they had to be leaving for the airport for their afternoon flight soon and wondered what this last minute shopping rush was all about.

“It seems that your brother has vomited all down your back.” her step-father told her apologetically.

“You’re not supposed to say _vomit_!” Taiga’s mother hissed at her husband.

“But that is what it is.” he answered without acknowledging his wife’s ire. Then, speaking a bit stiffly, he added, “And no matter what endearing words you would rather use to hide it, I am quite sure that Taiga does not think it is cute to have vomit on her.”

“Huh?” Taiga had been so grossed out that she was on the verge of screaming. But her step-father’s words sank in. With those few words he had defended Taiga and had criticized his wife for relying on Taiga so much for the child-care of her own brother.

“I…” her mother had been furious to have been chastised by her husband like that, but she had to admit that she had been relying on Taiga too much. Part of it had been that Taiga herself had been a brat most of her life and she wanted to see as much of the nice Taiga as she could before her daughter’s behavior reverted. But the other part was that this child had been much more taxing than she had been prepared for and she genuinely needed the help. But… that wasn’t fair either. Taking her sleeping son from Taiga, she apologized, “I’m sorry for relying on you too much, Taiga. I’ll go get him cleaned up and meet you back here.”

“We’ll be in the Fighting Eel.” her husband stated, “I believe there are several things in there that would look good on Taiga.”

“So, I guess I’ll go pick out a t-shirt.” Taiga started to head off to the store, but her step father stopped her.

“No,” he said as he took off his glasses, “not a t-shirt. I know that your impression of me has been that I am not very emotional and I am a bit of a tightwad.”

“No, I…” Taiga didn’t want to lie, but that was exactly what she thought of him.

“Not wanting to spend money and not wanting to spend it when it is unwarranted or unnecessary are two different things.” her step-father explained, “You have been a tremendous help to your mother and to me as well. I think she has gone too far, but you did not complain even when it was warranted. I am not so obtuse that I did not notice that it was upsetting you though.”

“Oh yeah...” Taiga had to continuously remind herself that this guy was not nearly as clueless as Ryuuji. He was also a much more reliable person than her own father had ever been.

“So, if you wish, let’s get you something nice.” her step-father actually smiled, “I saw two dresses that I thought would look good on you. You may see others as well.”

“Are… are you sure?” Taiga was surprised by the offer. Although the prices in that store were not as ludicrous as others, a single dress could easily cost twenty thousand Yen there.

“Absolutely,” he put the glasses back on and stiffly told her, “If you do not pick out at least two dresses, it will be an insult to my pride.”

Taiga was stunned at being rewarded for her behavior. This had never happened before. Indeed, the word _behavior_ was usually followed by the word _problem_ or _issue_ in her experience. It was dawning on Taiga that even though it was often difficult to always be nice to the people around her, this _good behavior_ stuff did have its perks. _I wonder what kind of a person I would be now if you had been my father all along… heh… if nothing else, I would probably be a little taller._ Taiga was so lost in her confusion and thoughts, that she didn’t notice until they were almost to the shop doors that she was holding her step-father’s hand.

.

From her vantage point at the center of attention, Ami caught a glimpse of something at the other end of the promenade. It looked like Aiko-chan was being led away by some man. A sick panic started to grip Ami and she turned to tell Ryuuji what she saw.

“Ryu… EH?” Ami’s panic changed to shock when she turned around and saw Aiko-chan standing next to Yasuko. She blinked, but Aiko-chan and Yasuko were still there. Ami had been convinced that it was Aiko-chan she saw walking off with some man… but she had to give up thinking about it for now. There were still a lot of fans left that wanted their copy of the magazine signed. Apparently, some of her fans had put it out on Mixi and Twitter that she and her model friends were there and signing autographs. For every happy fan that got to meet their favorite model, it looked like another two or three were making their way to the small, palm tree covered stage to buy a copy of the magazine and get their treasured autographs. Indeed, the small crowd had already turned into an orderly line so it looked like they might be there a while, unless the Director decided to put an end to this. Glancing behind her again, she could see him laughing and talking with Ryuuji and Yuri-sensei. _Nope, it doesn’t look like he’s in a hurry at all._

.

**Wednesday morning, January 13 – Ohashi High School**

* * *

“I can not believe we’re at school an hour early.” Ami said in a bored and sleepy tone.

Nanako, Hisako, Ami, Ryuuji, and Yuri sat at desks that had been pushed together and ate the breakfast that Nanako and Ryuuji had prepared.

“Stop your gritching,” Hisako threw a wadded up napkin at Ami as she told her, “you knew what the price of fame would be – more than any of us.” _Certainly more than me._ Hisako thought to herself how different her life would have turned out if she had not self destructed, and had acquired fans instead of haters.

 _The price of fame._ Ryuuji rolled those words over in his head. This had been exactly what he had wanted to avoid so that Ami could have her high school experience right to the end. But it wasn’t to be. Fans. Haters. Reporters. Paparazzi. They had all known that something like this could happen when the magazine releases were changed at Kawashima Anna’s request. _This is all my fault. I promised Ami I would do whatever I could to let her have a normal High School experience and… I failed. I know it is what her mother wanted but… I should have_ _just said no! I should have_ _put my foot down! Is all of this worth it? Will it really make a difference for Ami’s acting debut? If, in the end, it doesn’t…_ Ryuuji stopped his musings and looked up toward the door when he heard the sound of running footsteps in the hallway coming closer.

“Oh no.” Hisako heard the sound too and looked up, “Surely they’re not brazen enough to hound you all the way to your classroom?”

Hisako, Ryuuji, and Yuri-sensei stood and started to move toward the door to try and dissuade any rabid outsiders from barging into the classroom just as the door was flung open. Instead of the hassle they were expecting, they were overjoyed to see Noto and Maya in the doorway.

“Wow!” Even though she was a little out of breath from running, Maya spoke first, “You guys have some amazing tans!”

“Huh?” Ryuuji hadn’t noticed that they had all benefited from the tropical sun until Maya pointed it out, but it was true. Granted, none of them had a deep cocoa tan. Still, they had basked in enough sunshine that their friends and classmates, those that had remained behind in a typical Japanese winter, would know that they had gone somewhere nice for a while.

“Maya!” Nanako ran over to embrace her long time friend.

“Noto!” Hisako embraced the startled young man as vigorously as Nanako and Maya were holding each other.

“Huh?” Noto was able to say just before his face was smashed into Hisako’s bounteous chest. Of course, she was playing with Maya again as she ran her fingers through the short brown curly hair, and kept his head buried in the softness of her breast. She turned to see what she expected to be Maya’s jealous fuming, but was both shocked and frightened instead. The fright was from Nanako’s cold stare but the shock… Maya looked like she welcomed Hisako’s presence. Hisako’s gut instinct cried out to her a warning.

_Something dreadful must have happened._

“Maya?” Nanako broke off her own jealous stare when she could feel the unexpected reaction from her friend. “Maya what happened?”

“Oh…” Maya remembered the terrifying moments at the train station, “Hisako-san, I will never be jealous of your closeness with Noto. Never again. In fact… I wish you and Nanako could start being with us immediately.” The tears welled up in her eyes and she began to sob as she recalled her fear of the moment and, for the thousandth time, thought about what might have happened if Shinako had not been there. “I was careless and stupid! I was so scared. It’s my fault that I didn’t listen to you… I know that. It all would have been okay if you had been there…”

Hisako and Nanako looked at each other but neither of them had been able to make much sense of Maya’s ramblings. All they could tell was that something so horrible had happened to Maya, that Hisako could no longer tease her by playing with her boyfriend.

 _Somebody messed with my friends?_ Hisako could feel the rage building. _Somebody scared Maya so terribly that… that…_

“Who is responsible?” Hisako asked in a dread voice as darkness seemed to close in around her, “And, where to I find them?”

“I… canpf… breave!” Noto’s voice came from somewhere deep in Hisako’s chest.

.

“Wow, it sounds like you guys might have had more excitement than we did!” Nanako commented.

“No, nothing like that.” Noto told them, “the rest of our trip was pretty boring. That was the only real excitement.”

“Boring?” Maya looked at her boyfriend carefully, “Walking through the snowy woods alone with me was boring? Cuddling up next to the fireplace alone with me was boring? Sleeping in the same…”

“That’s not what I meant!” Noto held up his hands for her to stop talking as he blushed, “I was talking about the bad kind of excitement… the kind where you are scared. When I’m with you, I feel safe and comfortable. The only thing I’m afraid of is that I’ll say something stupid.”

“Like just now,” Ami sniped at him as she bit into one of Ryuuji’s sweet omelets.

“Mr. Boring.” Nanako added.

“Yesssssss!” Noto smacked his hand over his face and kept it there.

Noto didn’t like the way everyone was finding humor in his embarrassment, but he forgot about all of that when Maya accepted his apology by hugging him.

“I’ve been thinking about what Maya said,” Nanako asked Noto and Maya, “are you still planning on getting married immediately after graduation?”

“Yes,” Noto told them, “the meeting at the family estate decided everything. The wedding will be one week after graduation at a shrine located near the estate. It will be a traditional Japanese ceremony, so I won’t be able to invite the whole class like Ryuuji and Ami did.”

“That’s okay, we understand.” Ryuuji was forced to think about his own public wedding that would also be done in the traditional Japanese way. Due to it’s scheduling, they wouldn’t be able to have any of their friends there this time. Then again, everyone had been able to come to their western style wedding in November, so…

“Since you’ll be married before the semester starts, I’m guessing that you won’t be staying in the University dormitories then?” Nanako asked Maya and Noto.

“No,” Noto answered, “our family has a house close to the University. It used to be a visiting professors residence.”

“So it’s not very large then?” Nanako sounded disappointed.

“No.” Maya confirmed.

“Yes it is.” Noto countered.

“Huh?” Maya was confused, “how big does a house have to be for a visiting professor?”

“Professors… plural,” Noto corrected her, “up to four professors would stay there at a time.”

“Eh?” Maya had to rethink everything again. She had been worried how the two of them were going to last for several years in a one bedroom hovel, but that would not be the case after all it seemed. _How stupid of me to think that the Hisamitsu family would own a hovel in the first place. Baka!_

“Well then, how would you feel if I decided to attend the same university and Hisako and I will move into the house with you?”

“Really?” Maya sounded excited and hopeful as she reached across the desks and held Nanako’s hands.

“Really?” Hisako mimicked Maya's hopeful cry as she reached across the desks and held Noto’s hands.

“Ah!” Noto tried to pull his hands away but Hisako had a very firm grip.

Maya continued to smile gratefully at the thoughtful offer.

“Damn!” Hisako cursed as she remembered that this type of attack no longer worked on Maya.

Ryuuji held Ami’s hand as they all chuckled at their friends’ antics. The laughter was tinged with sadness as Ryuuji thought about the near future. Soon, they would be going separate ways in life. Hisako would be going with Noto, Maya, and Nanako to Tokushima University. Yasuko would relocate with Ryuuji and Ami in Tokyo. Minori would also be in Tokyo, but she would be across town at Waseda University where they had a softball program worthy of her talents. Of course, some of them would still remain in regular contact because of the entertainment jobs, but times like this wouldn’t last much longer. Ryuuji looked around the gathered desks at the first friends he had made in his whole life and wistfully wished they could somehow all stay together. Suddenly, Yuri-sensei’s words tumbled into his thoughts.

“I’ll also be moving to Tokyo.” she had just said.

“What?” Maya sounded stunned. In her mind, the old schools never changed and the old school teachers never changed. She had fully expected to come back to this place for her ten year anniversary and see Koigakubo Yuri still teaching students here.

“The Major is going to become a Reservist.” Yuri explained to everyone, “I don’t know what it means fully, but he can live in Tokyo since there is a base there and he only has to do the military thing one weekend a month and a few weeks during the summer.”

“Have you got a job there yet?” Noto asked.

“As a matter of fact, I was scouted!” Yuri smiled triumphantly, “It was thanks to the article in December really. I never thought they would publish my interview in the magazine. But, ever since they did, I’ve had quite a few offers.”

“And one of them was in Tokyo?” Ami asked.

Ryuuji noticed that this topic seemed to have piqued Ami’s interest and started paying closer attention.

“A couple of them were in Tokyo.” Yuri answered.

“What are they? Which ones?” Ami now seemed eager to hear where her sensei was going to teach.

“Well, um…” Yuri thought it odd that Ami was so determined to find out where she would be relocating since Ami herself would soon be done with high school. “Kaisei, Gyosei, and Meiji all offered me positions. Kaisei had the best offer so I am thinking…”

“You won’t like Kaisei or Gyosei.” Ami seemed to be getting excited.

“Why not?” Yuri was curious. According to the information packets she skimmed, they were both schools with good reputations.

“Sensei,” Ami smiled, “this time it is you that didn’t do your research. Both of those places are boys’ schools.”

“Eep!” Yuri almost gasped. “And Meiji?”

“It went co-educational about ten years ago.” Ami told her.

“How do you know so much about these high schools?” Yuri asked in amazement.

“I was looking into going to a high school in Tokyo before I came out here.” Ami explained. “Sensei, you have a tough job ahead of you.”

“Huh?” Yuri asked, “Is Meiji a difficult place to teach?”

“I don’t know about that, but you have two weeks to get Suzume-chan and Umeki-chan ready to pass the Meiji entrance test!”

“Ohmygosh, I hadn’t thought about that!” Yuri started thinking of how best to prepare the girls. She had been working with them already and knew where they stood in all their subjects so what she would need to do…

“Why does…” Noto started to ask but he could see that Ryuuji was about to explain anyway.

“The main reason Suzume-chan moved out here was to be closer to Ami for the modeling and singing schedules.” Ryuuji told his friends, “The secondary reason was a promise to her sister that Yuri would be available to tutor her whenever we had a job that required travel.”

“So, since you two will be moving to Tokyo…” Maya figured it out. Just when it looked like their singing was going to show some real potential, it would all fall apart because of distance. So, if they could all be somewhat close to each other… but wait! “What about Aiko-chan?”

“Onee-chan is talking to her parents about letting her come live with us in Tokyo.” Ami said, but her tone sounded none-to-thrilled. Everyone in the room knew how happy Aiko-chan was with her new school and didn’t want to pull her away from there after the previous school had been such a terrible experience. By the same token, it would also make the little girl sad to give up on getting to sing with Ami, Hisako, and Suzume. But if she didn’t move to Tokyo, the logistics of getting everyone together would just be too difficult.

“Poor Aiko-chan.” Nanako said.

“What have her parents said?” Noto asked.

“They haven’t made up their mind yet.” Ryuuji answered. Further discussion about Aiko-chan was put off as other students began to filter into the room.

.

Within the hour, the classroom filled up with classmates, students from other classes, and some other teachers. There were lots of comments on their tans and everyone seemed to have a copy of the magazine ready for autographing. But Yuri had already experienced this once and put her foot down quickly. Once again, she was able to maintain order by promising that they would be available for autographs at lunch.

.

**Wednesday morning, January 13 – Kyujosho Middle School**

* * *

“Minami Suzume and Ueda Umeki. Could you two come up here for a moment, please?” the teacher called out as soon as everyone had taken their seats.

“Yes!” both girls responded as they looked at each other and wondered if they were somehow in trouble on their first day back at school.

“Since you two missed the opening ceremony and the first several days of class, I just want to clear up a few things.” the teacher addressed the class as much as she did the two tanned students now facing their classmates from the front of the room.

“Are… are we in trouble?” Umeki asked worriedly.

“Not at all,” the teacher then added, “At least not yet. I know you had permission to be away and I know where you were. I also know that because of the recent magazine, Suzume-chan is now a more popular celebrity. But, you can’t let that go to your heads and you must remain vigilant in your studies!”

“Yes sensei!” both girls answered.

“Your classmates should know also…” the teacher turned to the class and told them, “this was not all vacation. Suzume was working while she was in Hawaii and both of the girls were being taught by a high school teacher that was also on the trip.”

There was some murmuring among the classmates at this news. Apparently, not everyone had known that. Some of them flatly didn’t believe it.

“In fact,” the teacher waited for the comments to die down, “they are two of only seven students in this class that have turned in all of their assignments.”

“WHAAAT?” the class balked.

“You did homework while you were in Hawaii?” a boy asked in disbelief.

“Yes.” Umeki answered, “Yuri-sensei is quite strict… especially since we told her that we want to get into the high school where she is teaching.”

“All right, you can ask her more questions at lunch.” the teacher could see the anxious looks on her student’s faces and decided that the other surprise simply couldn’t wait until lunch. “For now, if anyone brought a copy of the magazine to class that they would like signed, pull it out now and we will get this over with quickly so that we can get on with class.”

“Really sensei?” Suzume asked in some surprise. Technically, school rules prohibited bringing the magazines to school at all.

“Yes, well… there is special permission for this after all.” the teacher said through the sound of a few dozen students opening their bags and satchels to pull out their magazines. During all the commotion, the teacher moved her hands from behind her back and offered her own magazine as well. With a slight blush she asked the tall teen, “If… if you don’t mind?”

“Yes!” Suzume’s smile beamed at the idea that her teacher wanted her autograph.

Umeki was happy for her friend but decided to get out of the way. As she started to make her way back to her desk, someone caught her sleeve.

“Ueda-san,” a boy blushed as he asked her, “would you sign my magazine as well?”

“But…” Umeki was surprised as she asked, “I’m not a model… I’m not even in the magazine.”

“I know but,” the boy blushed a little harder as he said, “the two of you are always together and that is how I think of you… both of you. Minami-san and Ueda-san are always together. Even if you are not in the magazine, I know that you are there with her. That’s just how I think of it… I’m sorry!”

“No, it’s okay.” _That’s so sweet!_ Umeki took the magazine and signed it under the picture of Suzume. _Always together with Minami-san… wouldn’t that be wonderful._

By the time they were done, Umeki had signed more than half of the magazines that Suzume had autographed. That included the one for her teacher.

.

After class was dismissed, Suzume and Umeki were the only ones still in the classroom. The teacher had asked only Umeki to wait behind for a bit, but Suzume stayed with her friend as she normally did.

“Suzume-chan, I didn’t ask you to stay behind.” the teacher told the tall teen.

Suzume pointed at the two signatures next to each other on the cover of the magazine on the teacher’s desk and smiled, “Always together, remember?”

“This is some private advice to you and it could be embarrassing so…” the teacher told Umeki.

“Oh!” Suzume was startled, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…” She was picking up her bag to leave when Umeki’s hand caught her sleeve.

“Please stay,” Umeki found the courage to say, “I don’t mind if it’s you with me.”

“Okay,” Suzume said after getting a nod from the teacher.

“You’ve never been popular before, have you Umeki-chan?” the teacher asked.

“No… _before_? What do you mean by _before_? I’m still not popular.” Umeki looked at the teacher as if she had said something unintelligible or unbelievable.

“My dear girl, surely you must have noticed?” the teacher laughed, “When half a classroom wants your autograph, that is a pretty good indication that you are popular.”

“Huh?” Umeki clearly had not considered that.

“Umeki-chan, I am glad to see that you have finally come out of the shadows and are truly living life instead of just enduring it. It really makes me very happy. But I need to warn you about something that will happen to you soon, because of this sudden popularity.” the teacher told her seriously, “You will soon be getting requests to meet in private places where you will be getting… confessions.”

“WHAT?” Umeki balked. When she realized that she hadn’t heard her friend also balk, she turned to Suzume in amazement that she wasn’t also surprised to hear such a ridiculous thing. “If anyone is going to be getting confessions, it will be Suzume-chan! Not me!”

“No, that’s not the way it works. You see…” the teacher tried to explain this to her inexperienced pupil so that she wouldn’t just understand it, but she would also believe it. “Suzume is popular, but she is also a celebrity and she is… very tall. Add all of this together and it means that to almost all of the students in a middle school, she is unattainable.”

“That’s not true!” Umeki seemed desperate to look for a flaw in her sensei’s logic, “There were boys… and even a girl or two that confessed to her before.”

“That was before the magazine came out.” the teacher said softly. She could see the desperation in the young girl’s face and sympathized with her. “From now on it will be you that gets all the confessions, Umeki-chan.”

“But… why?” Umeki pleaded. _I don’t want this! I don’t want to have to face people and tell them something they don’t want to hear. I do not want this!_

“You are popular.” the teacher added, “Even though you are not in the magazine, you are still famous at this school. You are the best friend of a celebrity model, but you are not a celebrity yourself. You are short enough that you don’t make all the boys uncomfortable. So, you are attainable. And, just as importantly, since you are not going out with anyone - you are available.”

“No…” Umeki did not want this kind of attention. She didn’t want to have to say _no_ to a constant stream of potential date requests. _I don’t want this._ “I don’t want this.”

“I understand.” the teacher felt awful for making her pupil frightened and sad, but it was best for her to be forewarned than to be shocked and surprised when the confessions started coming. “I’m sorry for having to tell you this. And, it’s not certain to happen, but I wanted you to know. It might give you time to think about how to deal with it… in case it does happen.”

.

It was a quiet walk from the classroom to the shoe lockers. Even with Suzume next to her, Umeki felt a dread chill running through her at the prospect of her teachers predictions. There were kinds of people that craved attention and would be thrilled at a stream of confessions… but Umeki wasn’t one of them. Before Suzume came along, she would have been satisfied with just staying in the unobtrusive shadows of the classroom and going through middle school peacefully. Suzume had changed all that and she had to admit that she did not regret it. So far, the time she spent with the tall model had been fun and exciting to an extent that she had not believed she would ever have experienced on her own. But this… _I can’t face people and tell them no. I can’t do it even once, let alone doing it over and over again. I just can’t do it!_

“Hey,” Suzume put her hand on her short friend’s shoulder, “are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Umeki answered in a way that she didn’t even believe herself.

“Are you mad at me?” Suzume withdrew her hand worriedly.

“Huh?” Umeki looked up to see her friend’s disturbed expression. “No! Why would I be mad at you?”

“Well,” Suzume reasoned “if it wasn’t for knowing me, then you wouldn’t be having this unnecessary trouble.”

“No.” Umeki said with determination, “I am not upset with you. I do not regret being your friend!”

“Oh!” Suzume was pleasantly surprised by the forcefulness of her friend’s response. Feeling hopeful, she offered, “There are only six or seven weeks left of school… maybe it won’t happen after all.”

“Yeah, maybe not.” Umeki was hopeful as well. Her hopes were dashed when she opened her shoe locker and two envelopes fell out to hit her feet. Another four were still inside the cubby. There were still a lot of students retrieving their shoes and getting ready to head home or to a club so there was no way to ignore the letters in front of her. There was a momentary temptation to just throw the unopened letters away, but Umeki was not that kind of person. Anyway, she already knew that she would be facing six people at least. Despair set in as she realized that it was only starting with these six. _There will be more every day… every day for_ _almost two months_ _. I… just… can’t… do this!_ Movement around her seemed to stop and she was aware that many students were watching as she bent to pick up the two envelopes that had dropped to her feet. She was about to read who they were from when Suzume snatched them from her hand and thrust a folded up piece of torn out notebook paper in her hands.

“This one first.” Suzume insisted.

“Huh?” Umeki was startled by Suzume’s strange behavior.

“This one first!” Suzume demanded.

“Um… okay.” Umeki opened the folded paper and saw Suzume’s familiar handwriting in a message that simply said: _Please say yes!_ When she looked up, she saw her tall friend bowing toward her in front of dozens of other students. “What!”

“Umeki-chan,” Suzume said loudly, “please go out with me!”

“Eh?” several people in the area gaped.

“Huh?” Umeki looked back at the hastily written note and back at Suzume. _She must have written this while I was picking up the envelopes at my feet. Oh! I get it, this isn’t for real! If I say yes then I can tell everyone else that I am going out with someone already and the confessions will stop._ _I am saved!_ _Suzume, you are truly the best friend ever. If only…_ Umeki was thrilled that her friend would make this sacrifice for her but a part of her wished that it had been real after all. Proud of their friendship and with tears of happiness beginning to form in her eyes Umeki replied, “Yes, I will go out with you.”

“Whaaat?” the crowd around them gaped.

A startled Umeki almost cried out when she felt herself suddenly seized by her tall friend. Her feet left the ground and she dropped her bag when she felt soft lips on her own. _Suzume!_ _What are you doing? What are you thinking?_ _Suzume, you’re kissing me!_ _You’re kissing me in front of all our classmates!_ Through her glasses, her panicked eyes could see that Suzume’s eyes were closed. Her mind reeled and she felt her body suddenly become warm as if they were back in Hawaii. The warmth elicited a small moan and Umeki felt the tenseness leave her. When she felt Suzume’s tongue on her lips, she opened up and the two friends kissed as lovers for the first time. Umeki was held tight and couldn’t return Suzume’s embrace, but she hadn’t yet put her shoes on, so the forgotten crowd could easily see her dangling feet.

“WHAAAT?” the crowd around them gaped again.

Word would spread quickly about the confession and the toe curling kiss that Suzume gave Umeki in the shoe locker area.

.

**Monday morning, February 1 – The Third Magazine Release**

* * *

There were stunned faces looking at Ami as the classroom slowly filled up. They had all become used to the idea that their classmate was a model. And, to be honest, they had heard her sing the year before at the class Christmas party when she did an unexpected duet with Taiga. But that had been nothing compared to this…

The February issue included pictures of Red, Black & Blue with Aiko-chan. The article covered their music debut and the magazine included a code for a free download of the first original song by Ami, Hisako, Suzume, and Aiko-chan. Everyone that heard it agreed that it was very good. It was perhaps, too good. There were light hearted jabs that it wasn’t really Ami but some professional musicians that had been hired for her to lip-sync with. They had only been light hearted comments from their school mates, but it wasn’t long before the same kind of comments started appearing in rival magazines and on talk shows. Their comments were much more abusive and demeaning – not just to Ami, but to Suzume, Hisako, and even Aiko-chan as well.

However, just when they were thinking about mounting a response, it seemed the issue took care of itself. Suddenly, there was news footage from the previous autumn and hundreds of testimonies from towns and cities from Aomori to Tokyo. Radio and television stations were getting thousands of phone calls from their audiences reporting that the girls had been seen performing during the time of the mandatory inoculations. The mounting evidence could not be ignored: there were too many people from too many places that were providing statements, pictures, and even video’s. Even the most die-hard cynics abandoned their _entertainment industry conspiracy theories_ in the face of so many witnesses.

Although there were reporters gathered at Aiko-chan’s school like there were at Suzume’s middle school and Ami’s high school, they were a lot better behaved. It seemed that even reporters will hold back on badgering an elementary school child like they might a teenager. It could also have something to do with the number of parents and teachers seemingly scrutinizing their every move. Most of those parents and teachers had cell phones that they used to take pictures of the reporters and photographers that were giving up on trying to get close to and elementary school aged… little… girl. After the first day, all of the reporters and photographers were women. Eventually, they would get pictures and even waves and passing remarks. But the little girl’s Onee-chan was always with her when she went to school and when she came home. As pretty as she was, the media people learned quickly that Onee-chan was not to be trifled with.

.

**Saturday morning, February 13 – Ohashi High School**

* * *

“You have to come to school today.” Nanako said firmly.

“No I don’t.” Hisako didn’t budge from the couch as she replied, “I’m not a student, faculty, or staff. I’m just a volunteer and today, I am not volunteering.”

“I want you to.” Nanako pouted.

“I don’t care.” Hisako looked away from the cute pout so she wouldn’t be swayed. “Any other day but this one.”

“So, you do know what today is?” Nanako raised an eyebrow.

“Yes…” Hisako answered reluctantly, “Valentines Day… observed.”

“And you won’t come?” Nanako checked.

“No. I hate… this day.” it had never been a good day for Hisako even as a little girl. Year after year, she would give chocolates away in February, only to have her hopes crushed in March. _I never got anything_ _back for_ _all_ _the_ _chocolate_ _I gave away_ _and I don’t believe in Saints anyway._ Petulantly, she added, “I’m not going and you can’t make me.”

“Fine.” Nanako humpfed, “But I’m going and I plan to accept any chocolate that is offered to me.”

“Offered to you?” Hisako blinked as she realized the full meaning of what Nanako had just said. _Surely she wouldn’t…_

SLAM! The front door closed hard and made Hisako sit up straight.

“Wait!” Hisako called out but it was too late, Nanako was out the door. Hurriedly, Hisako rushed to the door and was about to call out for her girlfriend when she noticed that she didn’t see her anywhere. “BAKA!” Hisako screamed. The comment was more for herself than it was aimed at anyone else.

.

By the time Hisako made it up to the school, the first class had already started. Instead of barging in on Koigakubo Yuri’s classroom, she decided to make her way to the familiar infirmary. The shoe locker area was empty by the time she got there, but it seemed that someone had messed with her locker. Hisako noticed as she turned the corner that the door was not closed as it normally was. Flashbacks of middle school and finding her shoes filled with mud made her wince. With trepidation, she opened her locker and was stunned to see an avalanche of chocolates and cards fall out.

“What?” she stared at her cubby in disbelief. _This must be a mistake!_ She looked at one of the letters that had been crammed into her cubby and saw that it was indeed marked with her name. “Huh?” _Is someone playing a joke on me?_

.

Once in the infirmary, Hisako saw the nurse sitting at her desk staring at a pile of chocolates and cards.

“Oh, so you got some chocolates too?” Hisako asked as she entered the room.

“Oh yeah,” the nurse opened a drawer to reveal a modest offering of chocolates, “I got these.” Then pointing to the pile in the middle of her desk she said, “This mess is all yours.”

“WHAT?” a stunned Hisako sat heavily into a chair as she looked at the second pile of chocolates in disbelief. “Bu… but why?”

“I’ve been thinking about that.” the nurse said as she looked at her own smaller stash, “You defended students when they were sick and weak. You even carried them here when they couldn’t move on their own. It’s my job, but you volunteered. Everyone knows that you volunteered to help when you didn’t have to. But… but I think that’s only part of it.”

“Then, what?” Hisako asked.

“Some students and teachers knew who you were when you first showed up… and they hated you because of the rumors that they believed.” the nurse told her, “The stories of your villainous past spread like wildfire and soon everyone hated you. But then, the _truth_ from Koigakubo-san’s classroom started to spread and they were already doubting the rumors and their own hate when the virus hit.”

“But…” Hisako had only been vaguely aware of any of this. All her attention at the time had been on Nanako and Ami.

“You brought a first year in here one day. He was too weak to walk and couldn’t even write. I wrote this down for him as we waited for the ambulance to come and take him to the hospital.” She handed over a clipboard with a note on the front in the nurses handwriting. “That boy probably spends too much time playing fantasy games and reading romance stories, but… well… these are his words.”

_Saint Kurosawa Hisako_

_Defender of the Weak,_

_Savior of the Ill,_

_Valiant, Strong, and True_

_as she is Beautiful._

“Baka.” Hisako lowered her head to hide the blush and tears after she read the short note. “I… I’m none of those things.”

“You are all of those things to him.” the nurse said as she poked at the pile of chocolates, “And, it looks like you are nothing less, to a great many kids in this school.”

“Baka… baka, baka, baka…” Hisako couldn’t stop the tears. She knew that Ami and Ryuuji and their friends liked her. She knew that Nanako loved her… and she could deal with all that. But her heart wasn’t ready for this. For all of these people that she didn’t know, to feel that way about her… she wasn’t ready for this at all. Clutching the paper in her hands, she bowed her head lower as the tears fell onto the page.

Without Hisako’s knowledge, and certainly without her consent, the nurse sent out a brief text message to let everyone know that it was time.

In the first year classrooms, an announcement came over the public address speaker that Kurosawa Hisako was in the Infirmary and for any students that wanted to, could come and express their gratitude if they wished.

In classroom after classroom, a dozen or so students would stand and wait for their teacher to nod. Then they would retrieve their gifts and quietly leave their classes for the nurses office.

After a while, when the line in the hallway started getting short, the announcement was made to the second year classrooms. The third year’s were still involved in their exams and couldn’t be disturbed. Then again, it had been the third year’s that had filled her shoe locker and piled the Nurses desk with cards and chocolate.

When the last student left the infirmary, the nurse approached the crying model and lifted her face so that she could gaze into the tear swollen eyes.

“Kurosawa-san,” the nurse said, “in your life, you will probably never have fans that will love you as much as the students in this school do. Promise me that you will treasure this.”

“I… I promise.” Hisako watched the nurse leave the room and saw her Nanako standing in the doorway with a smile.

“Happy Valentines Day...” Nanako smiled, “Saint Kurosawa.”

.

**Saturday noon, February 13 – Kyujosho Middle School**

* * *

“What?” Suzume gaped as she looked into her shoe locker and found chocolates and letters. “But… I’m not a boy?” She closed the locker to read the name tape and make sure she had the right one… but she did. “Huh?”

“Weren’t you a ‘Prince’ at your former school?” Umeki asked her tall friend.

“Prince?” Suzume looked at Umeki as if she had suddenly grown another head.

“Heh, I thought this kind of thing happened everywhere.” Umeki explained, “A lot of girls will fall for tall athletic girls. It happens more often with the ones that could… um… pass for a boy… in the right clothes.”

“Hey!” Suzume looked down at her breasts to see if they had suddenly become smaller.

“Not all the time!” Umeki tried to reassure her friend, “In your case I’m sure it’s because you’re tall and courageous.”

“Courageous?” Suzume sounded anything but courageous as she looked at Umeki.

“Well,” Umeki offered, “maybe it’s because you have a girlfriend.”

“Hmpf!” Suzume thought about it for a moment as they took their slippers off, “Umeki, I’m going to need you to become tough and courageous.”

“Why me?” Umeki asked.

“BECAUSE I WANT TO BE THE GIRLFRIEND!” Suzume pouted.

“Nope,” Umeki chuckled, “it’ll never happen.

“Why?” Suzume wondered.

“You’re too tall.” Umeki answered confidently.

“Wait,” Suzume asked, “there’s no such thing as a taller girl going out with a shorter guy?”

“No… oh.” Umeki realized her mistake, “Well, I guess there is that sort of trope after all.”

“So’ I’ll be the girlfriend and you’ll be the Prince.” Suzume taunted.

“I can’t be the Prince.” Umeki told her.

“Why not?” Suzume asked,

“I lose in all three categories,” Umeki explained, “I’m not tall enough. I’m not tough enough. And I’m not flat enough.”

“Oh… HEY!” Suzume reacted as if she had just been stung by a bee.

“Maybe Hisako-senpai could be the Prince.” Umeki offered.

“Huh?” Suzume sounded incredulous, “You think Hisako-senpai is flat?”

“No, but you only need to be good in two out of three categories, and she is plenty tall and tough enough to be a Prince.” Umeki said.

“Oh, I see.” Suzume thought about that and asked, “So, you think I am tough?”

“No, not really.” Umeki answered.

“HEY!” Suzume was now covering her chest with both arms as her battered psyche believed they were becoming smaller by the moment.

“Stop with the yelling!” Umeki swatted at her taller friend, “I’m not the one that thinks you’re a Prince, so it’s okay for me to think that you’re not tough.”

“But you don’t think I’m flat either, right?” Suzume pleaded.

“No, Suzume-chan.” Umeki groaned, “Apparently there are a few girls that think you are tall and either tough or… manly. But no, I don’t think you’re flat.”

“… thanks.” Suzume felt a little better until she heard Umeki starting to laugh. “Hey… it’s not funny. I was really starting to worry – ya know?”

“Oh, it’s not that.” Umeki explained, “I was just thinking what the look on Nanako-chan’s face would be if we told her that we need Hisako to be our Prince.”

“Heh… heh heh heh,” Suzume laughed with Umeki as they walked out of the building into the chill February air. As the coldness wrapped around them, she commented, “You know… we will only have a few seconds to enjoy her expression.”

“Before she kills both of us!” Umeki guffawed.

Both friends were laughing hysterically as they left the school for yet another scheduled recording session.

.

**Saturday afternoon, February 27 – Kawashima residence**

* * *

“It feels weird leaving without Aiko-chan and Suzume.” Ryuuji commented as he finished getting the packed suitcases down the stairs.

“Oh Ryu-chan,” Yasuko giggled, “how many girls do you want to marry?”

“That’s not what I meant!” Ryuuji blushed at his mother’s bizarre inference.

“Well, if polygamy were allowed,” Ami postulated, “I’m betting Noto would claim Maya, Hisako, and Nanako.”

“That would leave you with Ami, Suzume, Umeki, and Aiko-chan.” Yasuko counted them off.

“Wait a minute,” Ryuuji asked, “why are three out of four of mine jail-bait?”

“Don’t be silly,” Yasuko teased her son, “back when polygamy was allowed, the marriage age was much lower!”

“I want to know why you’re giving this so much thought on the eve of our wedding?” Ami demanded.

“Huh?” A bewildered Ryuuji wondered when and how this conversation got started in the first place.

“Ah, the car is here.” Yasuko called out, “Have we got everything?”

The three of them turned and faced the empty house that had seen so much life in the last half year. It was cleaned out now and seemed too quiet. All of their belongings that weren’t going with them to Kyoto for the wedding had already been shipped to the new residence in Tokyo. After the wedding and the honeymoon cruise that her family was giving them as a gift, they would be heading straight to the new place near the University where they would spend the next four years.

“I really like this place.” Ryuuji admitted.

“Who knows,” Ami said, “We might come back some day.”

“If we do,” Yasuko teased, “We’ll be needing all those extra rooms.”

“Onee-chaaaaaaaan!” Ami wailed. She was now in the beginning of her sixteenth week and could already feel the the baby moving inside her. It was a strange feeling but one that filled her with wonder and love. The exhaustion, leg cramps, and back ache weren’t so wonderful, but Yasuko and Ryuuji did a lot to help her with that. Ami felt as if fortune was smiling on her in that she hadn’t yet gained a lot of weight, so she would still look good in the wedding ceremony.

When Ami told her mother about her condition, she was expecting to hear a long and demanding lecture. She realized that she couldn’t be more wrong when all she could hear from the other end of the phone call was giggling. Giggling? Ami couldn’t recall her mother ever giggling in her life! She was on the verge of suspecting that this person wasn’t really her mother when she confessed.

Yasuko and Anna had already decided that they could only be happy with lots of grandchildren.

_Lots ?!?!?!_

She was distinctly feeling conspired against in those conversations. She had tried putting her foot down and insisting that one was enough, but she had to admit that having an Onee-chan, even if she was pretend, was a wonderful experience… In the end, it was Yasuko that convinced her that there should be at least two children in their new family.

_At least ?!?!?!_

“Onee-chaaaaaaaan!” echoed through the empty house even after the front door closed and locked for the last time in a long time.


	37. The End Of The Beginning

**Monday early morning, March 1 – Ohashi Train Station**

* * *

From the train station, there were three places in sight that sold magazines and all of them were taking delivery of the much anticipated, final issue of the Kawashima Ami story. All of the previous issues had quickly sold out as each one seemed to reveal something new and completely unexpected about the young celebrity and her friends. Fans, reporters, and the talking heads of the media had already been speculating what the is final issue might reveal, but no-one was suspecting a marriage. Mostly, no-one suspected that because her public marriage to her mystery fiancé was already advertised as happening on the same day as the magazine’s release. Even now, as the latest issues of the magazine were being delivered to supermarkets, convenience stores, and news-stands – the marriage party was already beginning to get ready.

.

**Monday early morning, March 1 – Yamada Suites, Kyoto**

* * *

In Kyoto, the bride, groom, mothers, grandparents, and other family members were already starting to get ready. Since Kawashima Anna was involved, the preparations would include an army of support people. Costumers would make sure the Kimono’s were worn correctly. Hair stylists, manicurists, and make-up artists would insure that everyone looked perfect. Choreographers had already gone over every step of the ceremony with every participant and would be there in the shadows to make sure to correct any misstep. The most important people at the moment were the weather analysts.

Due to the weather predictions for the day, existing plans were already scrapped and they were now looking at Plan C on the choreographers run books. Since the clouds would break by eight in the morning and be nice for a few hours, everything was being accelerated for a morning wedding. Predictions of an overcast by noon and rain only a few hours later, had washed out the original plans for an afternoon wedding.

Kawashima Anna, Yasuko, Ami, and Ryuuji sat around a table having breakfast as the support staff whirled around them making last minute changes to the already planned option. Ryuuji shifted his gaze and watched the hurried assistants as he sipped his coffee.

“Are you worried about marrying my daughter or about the changes to the plans?” Kawashima Anna asked with a barely suppressed smile.

“I’m already married to your daughter.” Ryuuji replied, and the changes are concerning, but I’m not worried. More like… fascinated.”

“Oh?” Anna was intrigued. As always, it was difficult to read his feelings from Ryuuji’s facial expressions. Anna had not anticipated _fascination_.

“I guess I’m not worried because you’re not worried.” Ryuuji told his mother-in-law, “You work with these professionals all the time, so if you’re not worried – then I’m not worried.”

“I had no idea I was so… confidence inspiring. What is it that you find fascinating?” Anna wanted to know.

“At first it looked like complete chaos with a lot of people running in different directions urgently.” Ryuuji replied, “But, after watching them, I can see an order and a reason for every movement. Instead of chaos… it’s like an orchestra.”

Anna smiled. She was extremely happy for her daughter. This young man was a remarkable find after all. Ami had already told her mother that he was an amazing student and had a mind for math and science, but it appeared that his mind was keen beyond just the coldness of numbers and formulas. If he ever took a serious interest in the entertainment industry, Anna was convinced that Ryuuji would do well there too.

“Sorry we’re late.” Yamada Yukiko and her youngest sister Haruko had arrived at the same moment as Ryuuji’s grandparents.

“It’s good to see you two.” Ami asked, “Where is Natsuko-san?”

“One of us had to stay behind to manage the hotel.” Yukiko answered, “So I came along with the spare.”

“Spare?” Anna asked.

“Yes,” Yukiko answered as Haruko blushed, “If anything happens to Ami-chan, my little sister will step in and marry Ryuuji-sama.”

“Onee-chan!” Haruko groaned as everyone laughed.

Ryuuji’s grandmother noticed the blush on the girl’s cheeks and found herself wishing that she had more grandsons.

“Oh my!” Yasuko reached across the table and took the hands of both of the Yamada sisters. “You called her onee-chan! I’m so happy for you!”

“Yes,” Yukiko forcefully hugged her little sister, “the three of us have been getting along splendidly.” _Ever since you came into our lives. For the rest of my life, I will aspire to be the big sister that you have shown me. It’s all thanks to you and I will never forget it, Onee-chan._

“Enough!” Haruko struggled out of her big sister’s embrace, “I smell something delicious and I’m starving.”

“Your chef here is wonderful,” Ryuuji told the Yamada sisters – since this hotel was owned by their family. “Which saddens me to say this but you’ll need to order something that can be made quickly. The wedding plans are being moved up to eight this morning.”

“What?” both sisters cried out as they appeared to have been anticipating a lavish breakfast.

“Why the need to rush?” Ryuuji’s grandfather would like to have sounded authoritative, but he always felt like a school boy when he was around Kawashima Anna. It was no secret any more; his wife had revealed to everyone at the dinner last night about his long time crush on the starlet.

“Deteriorating weather.” Kawashima Anna answered as she put her hand over the grandfather’s hand, “I hope this is not too upsetting.”

“No.” he wanted to say more but he also wanted to hide the fact that an old man like himself was blushing all the way to his hair roots.

“It will be overcast by noon and raining by early this afternoon.” Ami added while trying not to laugh at the parental antics going on.

“It looks like it might rain now.” Ryuuji’s grandmother commented as she took her husband’s other hand and gazed out the big picture windows at the featureless gray canopy overhead. She was mainly looking out the window so that her husband wouldn’t see the glee in her eyes. For someone who liked to talk as much as he did, it was spectacular to see Anna-san shut him down to monosyllable responses.

“That’s supposed to move out in the next hour.” Ryuuji assured her, “By the time the ceremony starts, we should have sunshine and puffy clouds.” Ryuuji too noticed the fun that his grandmother and mother-in-law were having with his grandfather, but he began to worry. If he had a heart or blood pressure problem, a blush that intense could be fatal.

_Sunshine and puffy clouds._

Ryuuji’s grandfather had been asked what wish he would make for his grandson’s wedding and marriage, and… he had been at a loss. Having never seen his grandson until he was almost an adult, he didn’t really know that much about the boy. But, what little he did know… more importantly: what he felt – was that Ryuuji was a good boy and would be a good man. Kawashima Ami was impressive too. Tall and beautiful like her mother, she also seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. With two young people so capable, what kind of wish would be useful for them?

 _Splendid!_ _That Ryuuji-_ _kun_ _would be the one to come up with the perfect wish for their future_ _i_ _s somehow appropriate. I shall wish for their future to filled with sunshine and puffy clouds._ Having got that task completed made him forget about having to eat a rushed breakfast. _Uh oh… I have no hands._ Anna was still holding his right hand and his wife had his left. It took him moments to realize what this meant. Unwilling to let go of either hand, he would be going to the wedding ceremony… hungry.

.

**Monday mid morning, March 1 – Ohashi High School Gymnasium**

* * *

“This has been an incredible school year for Ohashi High School, for Japan, and for the world. Many of you…”

The Principals speech wasn’t terrible, but Minori was too excited to pay attention. So many incredible things were happening in her life. She had been accepted into Waseda University on an Athletic Scholarship. She had wanted to go there for several reasons. Their softball program was one of the best in the country and… it was also close to where her new best friend Minami Umeko lived. Indeed, Umeko had celebrated with Minori several times since the news that she had been accepted. She had even offered Minori a room in her apartment, in case she didn’t want to live in the dorms. Minori could see her dream getting just that much closer to her grasp and that filled her with joy and determination.

“… as we think of the friends we had along the way and those that cannot be with us today…” a snippet of the Principals monologue caught Minori's attention and made her remember the absent friends that were important to her. One of the girls on the softball team never came back to school after her bout with the virus that almost killed her. She was okay, but her family had made the decision to pull her out and let her concentrate on recovery, then she would repeat the year in April. Minori was a little envious that she would get to be here another year, but with all of her friends gone, it would be meaningless for Minori. She also thought about Kitamura and wondered if he was still chasing Sumire or if he had passed her and made her his kohai yet.

Ryuuji and Ami were particularly missed. Ryuuji had been selected to give the closing speech at today’s graduation ceremony, but he was in Kyoto, getting ready for a wedding now. And Ami… Minori had to recall how much had changed between her and Ami over the last year and a half. Minori played the ditz, but her eyes had been open the whole time. She had seen the changes that Ryuuji inspired in Ami in the previous year, and even in the latter half of this year. That tall blue haired girl had gone from being an obnoxious obstruction that seemed to alternately help and hurt Taiga, to being a truly reliable person, the only one that could save Ryuuji, and even a good… friend. Every time she saw Ryuuji’s happiness when he was with her… a happiness without pain, she knew that they were right for each other.

And then there was Taiga. A best friend for years and suddenly gone. Minori was sure that Taiga was still alive… somewhere out there. Taiga had left all of her friends behind to grow up, and make amends with her family. Running away to grow up seemed absurd to Minori, but maybe that worked for Taiga. Perhaps she had achieved on her own what she never did around Minori. Certainly, she needed to grow up. Never wanting to be thought of as a petulant and spoiled little girl, she unfortunately acted like one – so everyone treated her like one. This was a cycle that only made Taiga angry and depressed. Minori had figured out early on that Taiga would need someone to show her how to be a confident and responsible person, or she would need a caretaker… or both. Try as she might, Minori had not been able to change her friend’s attitudes or behavior. It had been for that reason that Minori had pushed Ryuuji toward Taiga. She had hoped and believed that he could accomplish what she could not.

But that had not been fair to Ryuuji. While Taiga got a measure of stability out of the relationship, Ryuuji got a few good memories, and a lot of abuse. Some times, the abuse that Taiga dished out to him made Minori cringe and even hate herself for having set him up with her. Minori often wondered if it wasn’t really love that had possessed Ryuuji, but Stockholm Syndrome. Perhaps he had never truly become comfortable with Taiga… he had just become used to the pain.

Whereas, with Ami… Minori remembered an occasion when she had run into them at the Shrine Park where they liked to work out. They were still wearing their school clothes and were sitting underneath a tree. He was seated with his arms around her as she leaned back into him between his long legs. A flash of beauty from her perfect white thighs framed between the hem of her skirt and the tops of her dark socks had got Minori’s attention but it was the look of pure unadulterated joy on their faces as they laughed together that she would always remember. Ami’s head was thrown back with long blue hair dancing all around her face, and all facades and pretenses gone as she laughed in pure joy. She could even see the delight in Ryuuji’s usually expressionless face as he held her tight. Minori’s first reaction had been jealousy. Jealousy that the joy she was witnessing should have been Taiga’s… or her own. But she let that go. In truth, she had never seen Ryuuji that happy before… and he deserved that happiness.

Minori felt better when she thought of it that way. Taiga was off growing up and finding herself, and Ryuuji was over his sadness and finally finding true happiness. _Perhaps it is better this way after all._

.

**Monday late morning, March 1 – Ohashi Train Station**

* * *

It was amazing how little was recognizable from the train right up until it got to her destination. The moment that she saw things that she recognized, the excitement in her heart doubled. As soon as the train came to a stop, she was out the door at a run. Still only a hundred and forty-five centimeters, she was very good at long distance running. She knew she would need that endurance to make it to her old high school before everyone left. There would be no time on this run for stopping and reminiscing or even a break at a street-side vending machine for a drink. She needed speed.

The girl in the unfamiliar black sailor uniform ran past the convenience store and the news stand, where the latest magazine cover showed Ami and her sinister looking husband in western style bride and groom outfits. She ran past the SudohBucks where the big screen monitors were showing the final scenes of the ornate traditional wedding broadcast from Kyoto. She was out of breath when she arrived at the school and could hear Noto’s voice coming from the ceremony in the gymnasium.

 _Hisamitsu Noto? Why is he giving the speech? Did he surpass both Kitamura and Ryuuji? Whatever._ Taiga thought about waiting at the entrance to the gymnasium but she didn’t want to be swarmed by a gazillion curious morons. Looking around, she knew the perfect place. From the window in their old classroom, she would be able to see everyone spilling into the courtyard after the ceremony was over. Running as quickly and quietly as she could, she made it to the familiar old classroom and peered out the windows into the courtyard. Taiga watched as the first of the graduates made their way into view with the tubes that held their graduation scrolls. She saw Maya before anyone else since she was doing something so odd. She was holding onto Noto-kun’s hand and looked like the happiest girl on the planet. She could see the happy-stupid grin on Noto-kun’s face and decided that if Ryuuji tried to pull something like that, she would have to crush his fingers. Still, they both looked awfully happy. _I guess there were a few changes around here since I left, but it doesn’t matter. I’m back to get what is mine now. That mutt better be happy to see me… but not too happy._ _I don’t need a dog that gets too excited and wets himself. Still…_ Taiga looked around at the familiar room and came to a decision when her eyes fell on the utility locker in the back by the windows. _… it would be fun to surprise him for once. I’ll just wait until…_ Taiga’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running feet in the hallway.

.

Minori finished saying farewells to her friends on the softball team and was looking around the familiar courtyard when she caught a momentary glimpse of that long dirty blond hair in the window of the classroom that they all shared when they were second years. Classroom 2C.

 _Taiga? No, it can’t be! But… but the hair was definitely… It must be her._ Minori took off at a run. She had to know for sure.

The graduating students in the courtyard showed interest but not alarm as one of their own suddenly dashed back into the school building. Minori unleashed her full athletic prowess and feet slapped the floor in long strides as the lone figure ran through the locker room and into the building. Strong legs took the stairs two at a time. No-one was in the long hall that led to that familiar classroom so the approaching figure gave away a warning as the sound of each footfall echoed down the long hall and into the neighboring classrooms.

Minori flung the door to the room open but there was no-one in sight. She actually felt relief when she didn’t find anyone there. Only motes of dust swirled in the rays of sunlight coming in from the unshuttered windows. The desks, having finished their use for the year were lined in perfect rows, the chalkboards clean, the lone utility locker… _Of course._ If it had been anyone else she was looking for, Minori would have walked away by now, but Taiga had hidden in the utility locker before. As she approached the locker, she was hoping against hope: _Please don’t be here Taiga, please don’t be here Taiga!_

Minori could tell that Taiga had wanted to surprise Ryuuji by the disappointment and shock on her friends face when she opened the door. _Why Taiga? Why did you have to come back now? This is so not going to end well for you._

"Minorin?" Taiga gasped, "I… I thought you were..."

"Ryuuji..." Minori looked sad as she appeared to be finishing Taiga's sentence. With tears already present but not yet spilling down her cheeks, Minori looked into Taiga's eyes and told her beloved friend, "Ryuuji won't be coming for you."

"What?" Taiga trembled with disbelief and rage at Minori's words, "Why the hell not?"

"Because he has finally found happiness…" Minori said without any inflection, "with someone else."

Down in the courtyard, conversations stopped when they heard someone scream, "No! That disloyal mutt!" The scream was immediately followed by the unmistakable sound of someone getting slapped hard.

“That was Taiga’s voice!” Maya gasped.

“Look!” Haruta pointed up at the windows where they could see Minori shouting at someone. “They’re in our old classroom.”

There was a brief pause as everyone wondered what they should do. Then almost everyone that still remained in the courtyard was running back into the school building and heading for Classroom 2-C.

"Despair caused by a selfish little bitch that made him love her, then just walked out of his life." Minori’s scream could be heard echoing down the hallways toward the incoming horde of students.

With the sound of so many people running through the hallway, they couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but they could hear Minori's screams pretty clearly.

"A note? You left a note and sent us all a picture of Venus! But you never called and you never answered!" Minori’s voice echoed again.

Noto was sure it was Taiga that Minori was talking to now. They had speculated on the meaning of the star for a while until Kitamura and Sumire had analyzed the geo-location, date, and time from the picture file and determined that the only thing in the sky bright enough to show up at time was the planet Venus – not a star at all.

Students entered quietly through both doors of the classroom now. Missing for over a year, they were all stunned to see Taiga again. Wearing an unfamiliar black school uniform, she was on the floor with the hand-print of a hard slap on her face and tears running down her cheeks. Her jaw was trembling and her eyes darted about as if looking for an escape from this mad horrible dream.

"Venus?" Taiga was visibly shaking as she crawled backwards on the floor to get away from the advancing pink haired jock that was obviously very upset with her. Amber eyes were wide open, but it didn’t seem that she was seeing anything, "It was supposed to be a star. So what if I didn't call? I left a note..."

"Forget about the damn note!" Minori screamed, "Even after he gave up on calling you… as he wasted away… dying right in front of all of us… you still could have saved him. I called you. His mother called you. Ami-chan even called you... everyone called you!" _Dammit Taiga, will you please stop making excuses and blaming everyone else and just… just… apologize for being such an incredible idiot?_

"Dying?" Taiga gasped and seemed, for the first time to be thinking of someone other than herself.

"You could have saved him with three words. That's all he needed from you, but I guess you couldn't be bothered." Minori glowered down at Taiga as she took three steps to stand over the diminutive girl's body, "So, what's your excuse? Battery ran out? Lost your phone?"

It was unpleasant for the classmates to see this. Minori had become the abrasive and furious Tiger and the panicking Taiga was cowering and looking for a way out of this madness.

"Minorin, please tell me!” No longer trying to crawl away, she pushed herself up onto her knees and pleaded, “He didn't die did he? You saved him, right?"

"First tell me your excuse!" Minori hissed. No excuse would be good enough, but depending on what Taiga said, Minori might not be able to stop herself from beating her idiotic little friend to a bloody pulp. Minori’s fists clenched when she saw that Taiga was finally going to answer the question.

"I put the phone in a box after I sent the picture of the star. I didn't want to use it as a crutch. I wanted to prove to him… and to me, that I could stand on my own." Sobbing, she begged her former best friend, "Please tell me he isn't dead!"

"Congratulations on learning how to stand on your own. You may be relying on that skill more than you had thought." Minori decided that Taiga’s excuse wasn’t completely imbecilic and her voice finally softened as she told Taiga, "I didn't save him, but he isn't dead."

"Thank you, Minorin!" Taiga sobbed and reached for Minori's hand.

"Don't thank me yet," Minori took Taiga's hand and prepared to deal more pain than the slap ever had.

Noto and Maya were the closest and Yuri-sensei wasn’t too far away. Noto wondered if he should stop this and glanced over at his former teacher. She shook her head. Maya squeezed his hand in quiet agreement that Taiga needed to be told the truth, and Minori was the right person to handle this.

"Someone else saved him… and married him." Minori told her friend as she looked into confused and frightened eyes.

"Ah!" Taiga cried out as if she had been stabbed. _No! This isn’t… I didn’t want… What have I done?_ The world that had become too crazy, went dark. The shaking stopped as unconsciousness took her away from a reality that had become too painful.

Holding Taiga's hand firmly, Minori had prevented a concussion from Taiga's head slamming into the hard tile floor when she passed out. Unable to hold onto the rage any longer, the wracking sobs started and the tears burst from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Minori sat down next to the small but inert body and cradled the familiar face in her lap. It was several minutes before she could choke back the tears enough to say words again.

"Why Taiga?" she bawled, "Why did you come back?"

Maya couldn’t stand to see Minori’s sadness and frustration any longer and turned to Noto. She saw that he had his cell phone in his hand and knew what he was thinking. She knew he was going to take a picture of Minori holding Taiga and she knew who he was going to send the picture to as well. He hadn’t done it yet though and seemed to be looking to Maya for approval. She considered it for a moment, but the picture was just too much. She pointed to his keypad and he understood. Both of them were glad they didn’t send the picture. It would have been too emotional and could have ruined what was supposed to be a very happy day for Ryuuji and Ami. The text said simply that Taiga was back and no more.

Finally looking up, Minori saw that dozens of students had come into the room and more were out in the hall. There was no talking or even whispering as they all looked on the scene before them with shared heartache. If Taiga woke up now, she would see almost all the friends she had made that year. Almost. She would notice the three that were missing. Then it would be her turn to deal with despair.

 

* * *

 

_**The End** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please take a moment to write a review.   
> Hmmm… there might be an Epilogue chapter.


	38. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> * * *
> 
> This chapter has several words that may be unfamiliar. This is especially true in the description of the traditional wedding. To avoid tripping up the story too much, I have provided a brief glossary at the end of the story.
> 
> * * *
> 
>  

**Walk the Same Path**

**Epilogue**

 

**Monday afternoon, March 1 – Ohashi High School**

* * *

Noto looked at his phone and frowned. It was the message he expected to see, but it was sad to see it nonetheless. Taiga was still asleep on the floor with her head in Minori's lap but most everyone else had left now and it was just Noto, Maya, Nanako, Hisako, and Yuri that remained. Noto handed his phone over to Minori to let her know.

Noto: Taiga came back today.

Ryuuji: It's good to know that she is okay.

Noto: Anything else?

Ryuuji: Not yet.

Noto: Understood. See you in a week.

Ryuuji: Thanks.

“What?” Minori's emotional state was a mess at the moment and she couldn't understand what it all meant.

“Ryuuji is glad she is okay, but he's not ready to see her yet.” Noto told Minori.

“Oh… okay.” Minori heard the words and understood their meaning a few moments later. Warm tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she smoothed out Taiga's hair in her lap.

“Do you need us to stay?” Maya asked.

“No,” Minori knew that the Hisamitsu clan was having a family event to celebrate Noto's graduation and he was probably already late for it. “I've got this.”

“I'll stay with you.” Yuri said. With the Major still in Okinawa, she hadn't made any plans for the rest of the day other than to get her things packed up for the move to Tokyo.

“Thanks,” Minori wiped her tears on her sleeve as her friends got up from the floor and quietly left the room.

.

A few minutes later, Taiga awoke and found herself looking at her old sensei. _Why is she here?_ She was sitting on the floor near where Taiga was lying. _Why am I lying on the floor?_ Her dazed mind tried to make sense of what her eyes were seeing and the terrible nightmare she had woken up from, but nothing was making sense. She felt a hand stroke through her hair and looked up into Minori's swollen and wet eyes. _Why is Minorin crying? Oh no… it wasn't a dream!_

“Oh, you're awake now?” Minori said as she gazed down into Taiga's haunted eyes. When she saw Taiga try to talk, she said, “Shhhhh, just rest for a minute. We can talk while we walk home.”

Yuri watched her former student roll over and bury her face in the pink haired girl’s lap. The sobbing was quiet but she could see the small girl’s shoulders shudder while emotional pain released itself in a rain of warm tears. As she got up to leave, she told Minori, “I’ll let the office know that you might be a while. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“Thank you sensei.” Minori replied as she blotted her own eyes. Taiga had been unthinking and cruel. She had made horrible mistakes. But Taiga was still Minori’s friend and seeing her in so much pain was difficult to bear.

.

**Monday afternoon, March 1 – The slow walk home (for Kushieda Minori)**

* * *

Minori and Taiga had taken their time walking to the Kushieda home. It had been a slow and quiet walk that, in the end, only made Taiga feel worse. Without saying a word, Taiga had turned up the street that led to the two places where she and Ryuuji had lived next to each other as neighbors for a year. Knowing what she would find there, Minori said nothing but sighed and followed Taiga up the street. Without sobbing, the tears slid down her face as she looked at the place where Ryuuji used to live. The house was gone, replaced by a huge concrete foundation and metal girders rising into the air. A construction sign said that another condo would be built there soon. The only familiar thing that was left was the tall but cold building next door where Taiga had lived alone.

.

Minori's house hadn't changed much though. The walls of the living room were decorated with many years worth of pictures of a treasured son and daughter as they both seemingly grew up as sports prodigies. Crowding the walls were pictures of Minori and her brother, from the present day to back when they were barely old enough to hold a bat. Where there were no pictures, there were shelves full of trophies and awards. Every so often, you could find something that wasn't sport related along these walls, but it was rare. A family picture, her brother's high school graduation certificate, and a picture of Minori and her best friend from her first year in high school. Taiga looked so happy then…

On the floor of the living room, a comfortable kotatsu was set up between the couch and the big family television in the middle of the room. Even though the weather had been steadily warming, it hadn't been put away yet. On this chilly afternoon, Taiga was glad it was still there. She was tired and still in a state of shock from what had happened at the school. Leaning back against the couch, with her legs under the warm kotatsu, she watched the changing pictures on the television with uncomprehending eyes.

Minori arrived with a couple of cups of tea balanced on a photo album. Without saying a word, she put the cups on the table and slid the album over to Taiga. It had been something she had been putting together ever since a foul line drive had gone into the dugout and shattered her cell phone. Luckily, the repairman had been able to salvage all the contacts and pictures from the phone's memory. This was a photo album of pictures she had taken as well as pictures others had sent to her. There had been a lot of pictures stored on the old phone and they covered a lot of interests. After printing everything out, she had created several photo albums. There was one called 'Family' and another devoted entirely to softball. This one was called 'Classmates' but most of the pictures were of her friends from the class.

Taiga leafed through the pictures until she came across one of Ami and Ryuuji eating lunch in the classroom together. There was no-one else around them. Just the two of them… and in one of the shots Ami appeared to be feeding Ryuuji from her own chopsticks.

“What the hell?” Taiga asked, “Did Dumb-Chi loose a bet?”

“No,” Minori set the magazines she was carrying down on the kotatsu, then reached over and turned back a page and pointed at a couple of pictures of Ryuuji, “This is what he was looking like before Amin saved him. It may not come out in the pictures well, but look carefully at his face and eyes.”

“He… he looks dead.” Taiga wondered if someone had altered the picture to make Ryuuji look so awful. He looked all skin-and-bones with pale skin and dead eyes.

“Yeah,” Minori agreed but knew the truth was worse, “it's hard to believe, but he actually looks better in that picture than he did at the time.”

“Oh.” Taiga couldn't imagine that. Sure, she had seen Ryuuji look pathetic or stupid, but she had never seen him look so unhealthy before. She didn't ask why though. Minori's message back in the school room had been delivered loud and clear. He was depressed because Taiga disappeared and wouldn't return any calls. Nothing anyone did seemed to help… and Minori blamed Taiga for this. She wanted to scream that it wasn't her fault, but Minori's mind was already convinced that it was. Turning back to the page with Ami and Ryuuji eating lunch, she asked, “So, why is he eating lunch with Dumb-Chi?”

“Taiga,” Minori decided that there was no gentle way to tell her short friend this news, so she she went with blunt, “Ami is the one that saved him. They fell in love with each other not too long after.”

“What?” Taiga refrained from calling Ryuuji a mutt or a dog again. Her face still felt swollen where Minori had slapped her before.

“Yeah,” Minori flipped forward several pages in the album to the pictures from the wedding at the hotel.

“This…” Taiga didn't recognize the man in the uniform or some of the other people in the pictures, but she did see her old sensei and a lot of her classmates in their school uniforms. “… this is some kind of play or something, right?”

“No,” Minori didn't mean to smile in front of Taiga but it had been such a happy time, “They were married last November in Tokyo.”

A single tear ran down Taiga's cheek while she scanned through the pictures of all the happy people. She felt like she might go into another full on cry, but her descent into sorrow was halted abruptly when she saw something bizarre.

“Huh? What the…” Her eyes had fallen on a picture of the wedding party. In the picture, it appeared that a very happy Taiga was sitting in Ya-chan's lap and holding a small basket of flowers.

“Ah, that's Aiko-chan.” Minori smiled again at her memories of the cheerful little girl, “She was the flower girl.”

“She looks just like me.” Taiga was amazed at how similar they looked.

“She kinda did at the time, but not so much any more.” Minori told her.

“Why?” Taiga asked while still looking at the pictures her body-double was in.

“Well, she is now a bit taller than you and… “ Minori pointed at Taiga's chest, “bigger than you.”

“Urk!” Taiga now hated the girl in the pictures for being a better Taiga than Taiga. “What… was she a new first year?”

“She's in elementary school.” Minori told her friend.

“WHAT?” Aggravation, frustration, and humiliation were taking turns beating on Taiga's self-esteem as she looked at the cheerful, smiling, and apparently bustier, preteen in the pictures.

While Taiga flipped through a few more pages of the album, Minori picked up the television remote and searched for the station that would have the re-broadcast. Having found it, she selected the channel and turned up the volume. The announcers were talking about the weather in Kyoto and mentioned that it was currently raining there. After some commentary about how lovely it had been a little earlier in the day, they announced that they would soon be showing the re-broadcast of the Takasu – Kawashima wedding.

“What?” Taiga's head snapped up. “I thought you said they were married last November?”

“They were,” Minori answered while watching the ceremony on the television, “but that was a private wedding and it was kept a secret until today.”

“What… what happened today?” Taiga was almost afraid to ask.

“This.” Minori said as she handed over her copy of the March issue of the magazine to Taiga. On the cover of the magazine was a bust shot of Ryuuji in a tuxedo next to Ami in a wedding dress. Minori wasn’t trying to be cruel – there was simply no way to hide it. Since early that morning, the magazine was now at every convenience store, supermarket, mall, and news-stand. The cumulative disclosures since the previous December, and the weddings of Kawashima Ami and Ryuuji were being discussed on radio and television all over the country. Until _the next big thing_ came along to distract the media, it was the news of the moment. How Taiga had failed to hear anything about it was a small wonder.

“No…” Taiga said softly as she looked at the picture of Ami and Ryuuji standing side by side in their western style wedding attire. “No…” She felt her jaw tremble a little as she put her hand over the picture of Ami to blot her out. With Ami hidden from view, she looked longingly at the image of a happy Ryuuji looking resplendent in a tuxedo. He wasn't smiling, of course. His smile could be a bit unnerving, but anyone could tell that he was happy. Looking back at the table, Taiga realized that her elbow had knocked the picture album onto the floor. When she put it back down on the table, it fell open to the pictures of Ami feeding a gaunt, and very miserable Ryuuji. As the tears welled up in her eyes once again, a thought finally occurred to her. _Maybe…_ _maybe_ _this is my fault after all._

_._

**The Japanese ceremonial wedding of Ami and Ryuuji**

* * *

Camera’s were allowed as long as they were unobtrusive, but there were no microphones that might interfere with the age old ceremony. Anna had warred with the utility of having microphones on everyone against the damage that something like that might do to such a traditional ceremony. In the end, she decided to trust to the professional commentators. They did their job well and described everything that was happening to such detail that the radio audience could imagine that they were seeing it too.

The Shinto priest entered the ceremony area first. Wearing his white vestments and tall black Eboshi headpiece, he washed his hands at the great stone purification font, then he made his way to the shrine at the back of the Haiden.

The camera’s swiveled to the big red torii gate at the entrance just as a group of people were approaching. A Shrine Maiden in her white Kimono and red Hakama solemnly led the wedding party to the purification font where they would all purify themselves before entering the peaked roofed Haiden where the wedding ceremony would take place.

Ryuuji and Ami followed behind the Shrine Maiden. Ryuuji wore a black Haori over a deep maroon Kimono. His Hakama was a dark blue with dark gray inside the pleats. The black Obi matched the Haori. When the camera’s were able to get a close up, the subtle embossing of branches and falcons could be seen in the formal Haori. The Kimono was similarly embossed with dragons, but they were currently hidden from view by the Haori over-garment. Ami was wearing a glimmering white Shirokakeshita Kimono with a matching white Obi. Over the Shirokakeshita, she wore a formal Uchikake of vivid red and gold with colorful imagery of a winding stream and flowers.

Kawashima Anna and Takasu Yasuko entered next. Both of them were wearing the Kurotomesode Kimonos of black with distinctive imagery below the Obis. Below Anna’s gold Obi was imagery of the stream and flowers similar to what her daughter wore on her Uchikake. Below Yasuko’s silver Obi were the branches and falcons similar to the design on her son’s Haori.

Ami’s Uncle and Kurosawa Hisako entered next. All of the camera’s zoomed in on Hisako and the commentators enjoyed bringing up the fact that the recent revelations about Kawashima Ami and Kurosawa Hisako’s friendship. They pointed out that the Kawashima family felt so comfortable with Hisako that she was filling the role of the Nakodo during the ceremony. Hisako wore a Furisode Kimono with long flowing sleeves. It was black at the bottom and purple at the top with colorful imagery of reeds, cranes, and flowers from hem to neck and flowing down the sleeves. Ami’s uncle wore a dark blue kimono over a Hakama of dark gray and black vertical stripes.

Ryuuji’s grandparents were the last to enter. When the camera’s focused on them, it was clear to see the pride in the grandmother’s face. She wore an Irotomesode Kimono of dark maroon with silver imagery of branches and falcons below a matching silver Obi. Her husband wore a dark maroon kimono with a Hakama of dark blue with dark gray that matched the one his grandson was wearing.

The camera’s that had been able to get the close up shots of the wedding party at the stone purification font followed them as they entered the Haiden where the rest of the ceremony would take place. Once inside the ancient wooden hall, Ryuuji and Ami stood alone in the center of the room as the Priest and the Miko purified the shrine and invited the Kami to come and bless the ceremony and the marriage.

The camera's couldn't see the nervousness that Ryuuji felt as he stood next to Ami in this place. It was different for him than the wedding in November. Shinto shrines were places he went as a child with his mother and that somehow made this event more real for him. Even though the November wedding had been a valid legal wedding and this one was really only for show, he was becoming overwhelmed at the reality of what he was doing. He tried to unravel the growing feeling of shock by rationalizing that he had already been married for four months and already had a child on the way, so this should be nothing… But it was. He remembered the embarrassment that Ami felt when she awoke from having passed out in front of her classmates during the wedding in November, and the fear gripped him that he might pass out and embarrass Ami and himself on national television. _No! No! No! No!_ Ryuuji admonished himself and ran through the things that the Major had told him before his first wedding. _Don't lock your knees while you are standing, and take deep and controlled breaths._ _Without moving your head, use your peripheral vision to notice as much as you can about the other people around you. How are they doing? Do any of them look like they might pass out. Listen to the words that are being said but don't lock your vision on any one thing and don't forget to breathe. Listen to the words that are being said…_ Ryuuji suddenly realized that the Priest had announced the san-san-ku-do and it was time for Ami and Ryuuji to approach the altar and pour the sak _é_ … _Sak_ _é_ _! We can't have_ _s_ _ak_ _é_ _! We're under-aged and Ami is pregnant! What do we do?_

Ami could feel the sudden unease coming from Ryuuji. She knew that something was bothering him since a few minutes ago. _Oh no, he doesn't want to marry me after all! Baka! Wait…_ _w_ _e're already married, so that can't be it. He wasn't even upset when he found out I was pregnant, so that can't be… The_ _s_ _ak_ _é_ _!_ Ami suddenly realized that Ryuuji had not been in the room when she and their two mothers had been talking about this change to the ceremony. Neither of the mother's had a problem with their under-aged children having a few sips of alcohol but they understood Ami's reluctance given her… condition. To alleviate her fears, her mother had requested that non-alcoholic saké be used in the ceremony. _He's worried about the baby and me!_ Ami felt her eyes become wet as she realized the reason for Ryuuji's fears. In her best hidden whisper, she quietly told him, “It's non-alcoholic.”

Ryuuji caught himself before automatically asking ‘ _what?’_ to the almost unheard whisper. It had been as if he had heard it at a subconscious level and his brain needed a moment to reassemble the message. _It's non-alcoholic._ His mind repeated the message for him until he began to calm down. He looked down at his hands and realized that he was already pouring the saké into the third bowl. His memory flashed back to the previous Spring when she had saved him from depression, then to the wedding in November when he saved her from embarrassment, and finally to the winter night at the mountain shrine when they confronted, forgave, and accepted each other about the pregnancy. The nervousness slid away and a slight smile teased Ryuuji's lips as he continued to go through the ceremony with renewed confidence. _Ami, you saved me again._ _If marriage is about saving each other, forgiving each other, and supporting each other, we are already pro's at this._

Ami could feel the almost instantaneous change in Ryuuji. In a tick of the clock, he seemed to go from a panicky rookie to a thespian veteran. When it came time for his vows, he held the crib card in his hand but he didn't read it. He recited the vows clearly and confidently to the room. His speech included the thanks to the Nakodo, who was being represented by Hisako. Ami and Hisako were both surprised when he deviated from the usual few lines of thanks and spoke to her directly.

“Kurosawa Hisako, you have been more than a Nakodo to us. You stuck by us when times were difficult as well as when times were good. Whether we needed a friend to laugh with, a shoulder to cry on, a good sound lecture for being stupid, or a cool head and emergency skills that saved the lives of some of our dearest friends – you were there. As a Nakodo, your job is done; as our friend…” Ryuuji took Ami's hand and told her, “our friendship will be never-ending.”

Hisako was stunned. She was only supposed to be the stand-in for the Nakodo. In all the scripts she had seen for the ceremony, her name wasn't even supposed to be mentioned. Now, all eyes were on her. She couldn't see the camera's but she knew they were on her now. How could he do this? How could he say such nice things about her when so many people could hear? So many people could see… It was too much; she had the overwhelming urge to flee. Long delicate fingers held her own hand and she could feel Kawashima Anna lean into her just a bit. It took all her control not to cry out or run now, but nothing could stop the blush. From the heat she felt on her own face, she knew her face must now look like a sunset.

“Kampai!” Ryuuji said as he held his cup of saké aloft.

“Kampai!” everyone else echoed with their cups held high.

Anna hugged Hisako and Yasuko hugged her mother as uncle and grandfather made their evergreen offerings to the altar with the priest. And finally, the married couple exchanged rings and kissed as the camera pulled back to catch everyone in the frame.

.

**Monday late afternoon, March 1 – Kushieda residence**

* * *

“What a beautiful wedding.” Minori sighed as she switched off the television.

“Kyoto huh?” Taiga asked with suppressed rage.

“Yeah,” Minori could tell that the wheels were turning in Taiga's mind. “But that was a re-broadcast from this morning. They're probably on their cruise ship by now.”

“Cruise ship?” Taiga gaped.

“Yeah,” Minori tried to remember the conversation, “I think it was a wedding gift from Ami's uncle.”

“Wow,” Taiga said with mounting anger, “looks like they're off to fame and fortune. No time for any of their old friends any more.”

“That's not true,” Minori said defensively, “they're going to be at Noto and Maya's wedding in a week.”

“Oh really?” Taiga grinned evilly.

“Erp!” Minori suddenly realized that she might have said too much.

.

**Sunday morning, March 7 – Yamase Station, Tokushima**

* * *

“This is our stop.” Minori said nervously to Taiga. Minori was wearing a pastel yellow Homongi with patterns of blossoming sakura branches running around the legs, up the chest and onto the left arm. It was the kind of cheerful pattern that one would expect from Minori but it didn’t match the worried look on her face at all.

Taiga was wearing a long heavy skirt and jacket suitable for the cold humid weather, but not appropriate for a wedding guest. If the look on Minori's face didn’t match her clothes, the look on Taiga’s face didn’t match anything you would want to be in the same room with. Anger, fear, sadness, and despair all took parts of Taiga’s face and twisted them into something terribly unpleasant. It was a look she had been wearing for several days now, even after Minori tried to reason with her and cheer her up. Minori had been concerned that Taiga might fall into a despair like Ryuuji did, but where he had been conquered by depression, Taiga seemed to be following the path toward rage.

When the doors opened up, both girls expression changed to surprise when they saw Nanako waiting for them with her patented enigmatic smile. She was wearing a deep purple Homongi with patterns of white and lavender flowers. In addition to her purse, she held a shopping bag as she greeted them.

“Good morning.” Nanako said with a polite bow, then looking at Taiga she said, “It’s good to see you again.”

“Bullshit.” Taiga grumped. “How did you know I was here.”

“I was in the classroom when you passed out.” Nanako explained, “I guessed you would be coming with Minori-chan since she was your best friend, so I came to the station when I knew Minori-chan would arrive.”

“You didn’t wait around for me to wake up…” Taiga continued to grump, but she was unaware of how aggressively open Nanako had become after her brush with death.

“No, I didn’t.” Nanako’s smile never faltered as she told the angry girl, “I didn’t feel it was necessary since I wasn’t a good enough of a friend for you to call while you were gone.”

 _Thwack!_ Taiga felt Nanako’s words impact her like an arrow through the chest.

“I… I didn’t…” Taiga had already explained to Minori how she had packed the phone away when she went to live with her mother so she would be forced to deal with her family instead of retreating to calls and texts with her former classmates. Then, after she was ready to come back, she discovered that the cell phone battery had failed while in that box and had leaked acid into the phone itself. She had never backed up the data in her phone, so she had lost all of her photo’s and contacts when the phone died.

“I’ve already heard the… explanations.” Nanako said as she waved off Taiga’s stuttering attempt to make her excuses again, “You wanted to prove yourself to be a reliable and responsible daughter to your mother. That was an admirable goal.”

“Uh… thank you.” Taiga hadn’t been expecting any praise and it took her by surprise.

“Given how difficult that must have been for you, I can understand why you wouldn't want any distractions.” Nanako said sympathetically.

 _Thwack!_ Another arrow of words pierced Taiga.

“What?” Taiga was angry again now. Her fists balled up as she demanded to know, “What makes you think it was so difficult for me to be a reliable and responsible person?”

“Your own admission.” Nanako said patiently, “If it had been easy, you wouldn't have needed to lock away your cell phone, right?”

_Thud!_

“I mean…” Nanako continued, “If becoming reliable and responsible had been easy for you and you turned your phone off anyway, that would just make you a heartless and cruel person, right?”

_Thunk!_

“Yes.” Taiga calmed down as she realized there was no answer that didn’t make her look like either an idiot or a monster. She looked at Nanako with amazed eyes. _Has she always been like this? I thought she was just a mindless follower_. “So… have you come to tell me not to make any trouble?”

“Huh?” Nanako seemed surprised at such a question. Holding out the shopping bag, she told Taiga, “No. I’m here to bring you your Kimono.”

“Eh?” Taiga was stunned as she reached out for the bag.

“For the wedding.” Nanako said, “Noto and Maya’s wedding will be in the traditional fashion so we are all wearing kimonos. I thought that you might not have anything with you, so I made you one for today.”

“You… you made me a kimono?” Taiga gaped.

“Amazing, isn’t it?,” Minori nervously laughed, “But, considering the other things she’s made recently, a kimono was probably easy for her.”

“Huh?” Taiga didn’t know anything about the dresses or costumes Nanako had been making. She pulled the garment out of the bag and saw a pastel orange base with faded black stripes in a tiger motif, but with swirls of cherry blossoms as if a tiger had been caught in a wind storm of pink petals.

“She made the wedding dresses for Ami and Yuri-sensei.” Minori said.

“Oh.” a bit of Taiga’s sour mood returned when she was reminded of Ami and Ryuuji’s wedding. “Wait… Yuri-sensei’s wedding? So, the single woman from the single homeroom isn't single anymore, huh?”

Minori and Nanako were stung by the harsh words for their beloved teacher, but they both remembered that Taiga had a history of tormenting Yuri about her loneliness. Both of them wondered if it was cruelty or karma that Taiga was the one now finding herself alone.

“Yeah…” Minori forced a laugh through the tense moment that Taiga had unknowingly created. “She and her husband will be at the wedding so… um… try to be nice to her, okay?”

“What do you mean?” Taiga looked up at Minori and Nanako from the garment in her hands. From the looks on their faces, she could tell that she had crossed a line and said, “Of course I’ll be nice. So, who else will be coming to this wedding?”

“Let’s talk about that while we get you changed.” Nanako took Taiga’s arm and started guiding her toward the exit.

.

The Hisamitsu family owned a shop near the train station. The shop had an upstairs residence and a guest room was made available for arriving guests to get changed into her wedding attire. When they got to the room, they found someone there. Standing at the room’s only window and gazing out past the distant river to the far off mountains, was a tall statuesque woman in a black and purple Furisode with patterns of reeds, cranes, and flowers. There was a moment of recognition and confusion as Taiga tried to remember where she had seen this woman and… this kimono before.

“Good morning, Hisako-chan.” Nanako said through a true smile.

“Eh?” Hisako was startled out of her reverie by the sound of her beloved Nanako’s voice and spun around to see the three girls standing at the entrance to the room. The heartbeat-skipping joy of seeing her Nanako was almost completely nullified by the presence of Taiga. The change in her demeanor was visible, as was the long breath she took before responding to all three girls, “Good morning.”

Taiga could feel the almost palpable increase of tension in the room when Hisako looked at her. Her hands automatically curled into fists, but the tall girl seemed to have her anger under control.

Hisako went back to looking out the window as Minori and Nanako helped Taiga get dressed in her Homongi. It was uncomfortable having _that girl_ in the same room, so Hisako tried to think of pleasant thoughts. Gazing out the window at the far off mountains, she thought of the peaceful shrine near the estate, where they would be going soon. Friends were waiting for them there. Good friends that Hisako had made in the last half year. Better friends than she had ever had in her life. They were, for the most part, the same people that had been friends with Taiga the previous year. One of them had almost been destroyed by Taiga’s unthinking cruelty, but all of them had felt the pain of her abandonment. And yet, they all forgave her… at least they forgave her to the extent that they didn’t object to her coming to the wedding. But… there was a stipulation.

“Nanako. Minori-chan.” Hisako waited until after Taiga was fully dressed, “May I have a moment to speak with Aisaka-san.”

“Ah… okay. We'll be right outside.” Minori said as she picked up her purse and gave Taiga a _be a good girl_ glance.

“Remember,” Nanako said as she took Hisako’s hands, “you promised not to kill her.”

“I promise,” Hisako reassured her girlfriend, “it’s just a talk.” After a reassuring kiss on the cheek, Nanako left the room with Minori. After the two girls were gone, Hisako turned to face the angry eyes of the diminutive Taiga.

“You…” Taiga said with clenched fists, “… promised not to kill me? What is that supposed to mean?”

“What do you know about me?” Hisako said as she took a chair so that she wasn’t looking down so unpleasantly. She had initially worried that she would be too filled with rage after seeing the girl that had caused Ryuuji-sama so much pain. But there was more sorrow than anger as she looked at Taiga now.

“I never heard of you before Minori showed me the articles about Dumb-chi… Ami.” Taiga corrected herself a little too late.

“Tch!” Hisako overlooked the insult to Ami. She had been warned about Taiga's acerbic nature so it had not come as a surprise. “You and I have a lot in common.”

“Huh?” Taiga hadn’t expected a comment like that. She looked at the tall model with the perfect breasts and the long straight black hair and couldn’t imagine how they could be any more different. “I don’t see it.”

“I’m not talking about how we look.” Hisako looked out the window as she remembered who she was just a year ago. “We’re both selfish people. We act out and hurt the people around us. We’ve both done… unforgivable things.”

Taiga was unable to respond. The words cut through her like a sharp knife through tofu.

… _unforgivable things._

She remembered the horror she felt when Minori told her just how bad it had been for Ryuuji after she had walked out… and before Ami saved him. _Can he ever really forgive me for that?_

“They are all wonderful friends. Incredible really.” Hisako turned back to Taiga to see a different expression on the small girl's face. No longer the angry and defiant girl, she looked thoughtful now with just the beginnings of remorse. “They forgave me for things that I thought were unpardonable. They showered me with so much friendship that I had a hard time accepting that it was real… at first. Truly, they are the kinds of friends that you want to hold onto for the rest of your life.”

“Yeah.” Taiga was forced to remember back to the incredible year she had been with them. Had it all just been one year?

“Only a fool would throw that kind of friendship away, don't you think?” Hisako asked.

“Um… yeah.” Taiga was forced to think about how much she could possibly lose if she were to…

“I hope you know that no-one blames you for what you did.” Hisako saw Taiga's head snap up in surprise but she pushed on, “You had a good goal. It was the way you did it that caused so much grief… and hurt the very people that loved you. There may still be some rough feelings here or there but for the most part, they have all forgiven you.”

A shocked Taiga looked into Hisako’s purple eyes and desperately hoped that she was being told the truth.

“The real problem is…” Hisako said more softly, “when will you be able to forgive yourself?”

“Ah!” Taiga recoiled from the emotional blow caused by Hisako's words, “But… but I…” Taiga could feel the tears coming back as she was forced to consider the real root of all of her troubles.

“You didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I know.” Hisako almost felt sorry for the girl now, “But sooner or later, you are going to realize the tragic problem with burning the bridges behind you when you move forward. It will hurt people… and it will come back to haunt you.”

“No…” Taiga felt the truth in the words. The pain wracked her small body but there was no denying it. The cold fact was that she had brought this sadness upon herself. It wasn’t Ryuuji's fault. It wasn’t Ami’s fault. This was all her own doing… or, undoing. Still trying to hold back the tears, she turned to Hisako and asked, “What can I do?”

“Answer me truly,” Hisako’s voice became a little harder now. She knew these words would hurt the already emotionally injured girl, but they had to be asked, “Do you still love him? Are you really going to be able to see him now – knowing that he no longer loves you the way he once did. Knowing that he loves someone else now. Can you keep your baser emotions in check when you see Ami and you know that they truly love each other, they are happily married to each other, and that she is carrying his child?”

“AH!” Taiga cried out as if she had been slapped. Nothing could stop the tears now. Her already weakened defenses were shattered by Hisako’s questions. “No! I can’t do this! Not yet. I just… can’t… let go yet!”

Hisako looked over the head of the crying girl and saw Minori in the doorway. Hisako could tell that she wanted to help her distressed friend and Hisako nodded for her to come. As soon as Taiga had the support of her pink haired friend, Hisako stood to leave. But, before she left the room, she fished out a card from her purse and handed it to Taiga.

“I know I am probably the last person you would want to talk to any more, but that may change.” Hisako said, “If you ever want to talk… and Minori-chan isn’t available, you can call me.”

“I…” _I don’t need you!_ Taiga almost screamed, but a year of growing up had at least given her the tools to restrain her natural self-destructive tendencies. Taking the card from Hisako, she was even able to reluctantly say, “Thank you.”

With Hisako gone, Taiga was now staring into the full length mirror on the closet door. She could see herself in the faded orange tiger themed Homongi kimono standing next to Minori wearing the pastel yellow. _All dressed up and no place to go._ Taiga thought as she gave herself a bitter smile.

“Are we wearing faded colors because we are the rejects from Ryuuji’s past?” Taiga glumly asked Minori.

“Not at all.” Nanako’s voice came from the doorway, “Homongi kimono’s are appropriate for friends of the bride and they use darker or more subdued colors and patterns.”

“Kurosawa-san’s wasn’t subdued.” Taiga pointed out.

“She’s wearing a Furisode because she is part of the wedding party.” Nanako said proudly.

“Oh.” Taiga let it drop. She knew that there were different kinds of kimonos but she didn’t know that they had different meanings or purposes. “I guess I should get out of this thing…”

“No no!” Nanako smiled, “I made it as a gift for you. Please accept it.”

“Oh… thank you.” Taiga still thought she should change clothes. After all, if she wasn’t going to the wedding then there would be no point in…

“Your mom and step-dad are coming to pick you up.” Minori told Taiga quietly.

“Huh?” Taiga thought she must have misheard her friend.

“I called her.” Minori admitted, “they were staying in a local hotel just in case…” _Don’t hate me Taiga but I think this is for the best right now. It’s too soon for you to see Ryuuji, but I just didn’t want you to be alone._

“Oh…” Taiga looked down. She wasn’t shocked that Minori knew her well enough to anticipate this. Still, it was embarrassing that everyone had already guessed that she would chicken out. _I’m such a klutz._

.

As Taiga was leaving the shop to walk back to the train station, she almost ran into a girl walking in. Before she could start fussing at this person to get out of her way, she glanced up into the surprised face of someone that looked just like her. Well, the face and the hair were the same, but this girl was a good ten centimeters taller and, unless she was wearing some special padding, she had a lot more on her chest as well.

“Taiga-san?” the surprised girl asked. There were also surprised expressions on the faces of her friends. A girl about the same height with long black hair and glasses, and another seriously tall girl with long red hair and sea-green eyes stood just behind the taller, bigger version of Taiga. Both of them looked like they were seeing a ghost.

“Um… Aiko-chan?” Taiga had seen the pictures of the girl in the magazines and had heard stories from Minori about how many classmates mistakenly thought that Taiga had come back the first time they saw her. _Wow, she really does look like me. She could pass for an older sister… wait… didn’t Minori say she was really in elementary school?_

“Are you really in elementary school?” Taiga automatically asked.

“Yup!” Aiko-chan said proudly, “I’m nine years old now, so I’m going into fourth grade!”

“Nine?” Taiga gasped as she looked up at the ten centimeters of difference between them. She hung her head and cursed the gods of fate as she thought, _Life is truly unfair._

.

**Sunday noon, March 7 – Tokushima Line train car**

* * *

While her mother was trying to calm down a fussy baby, her step-father handed Taiga an envelope. She gave it a quick look and saw that it was a college acceptance packet.

“I told mother that I don’t want to go to college.” Taiga said in a bored voice.

“I know.” her step-father sighed, “But things change. You need to be able to adapt to the changes or you will not survive.”

“Oh.” _Is that your way of telling me that you want me out of your house and out of your life?_

“I had to pull some strings to make this happen for you.” he said, “But I though you deserved to have a good college life experience.”

“Oh?” Taiga flipped the packet open and looked at a few of the pictures, “What’s so good about this place?”

“Waseda University?” he pointed at the name and crest on the front of the packet, “That is where your friend Kushieda Minori is going.”

“What?” Taiga was suddenly excited. As soon as she heard him say the name of the place, she realized that she had heard the name before. But… “How? How did you know?”

“I asked her.” he answered with a raised eyebrow.

“Does she know…” Taiga lifted the packet, “about this?”

“No.” he smiled a little as he told her, “I thought you might want to surprise her a bit.”

“Yes!” Taiga looked forward to the first day of college, only a few weeks away now. Sure it would mean more school but, it hadn’t been all bad. In her last year of high school, she had shown that she could be a model student. _Minorin and I will be in the same school in Tokyo! This could be a lot of fun._ Then she remembered, _Ami and Ryuuji will also be in Tokyo_ _too_ _… I wonder how far Tokyo University is from Waseda? If it’s not far, maybe we could hang out and…_ The crushing feelings hit her again. _Ryuuji and Ami… not Ryuuji and me. Why not me? Why?_

“Taiga?” her step father detected the change in her mood before she looked up at him with tears running down her grief stricken face.

“He’s gone. He picked someone else… instead of me! And… he’s gone now.” Taiga gave up on trying to rein in her emotions.

“I know.” he said as he pulled her into his chest where she could hide her tears, “This is going to hurt a lot for a while, but you will get over it.”

“When?” Taiga cried, “How long will I feel like this?” _Like I just want to crawl into a hole and die._

“Sometimes... it took me years.” he answered.

“Huh?” it hadn’t occurred to Taiga that something like this had ever happened to someone like him.

“I know it’s awful. Each time I hurt so bad I swore that I would never fall in love again.” he told her, “But, inevitably I did.”

“So, there’s hope?” Taiga looked up and asked, “Even for someone like me, there’s hope?”

“Even for someone like you.” he told her with certainty.

.

**Thursday afternoon, April 29 – Sudoh Bucks in Tokyo**

* * *

Several friends and relatives had come into town for Golden Week and to visit. Suzume with her sister, and Umeki with her parents were camped out in the living room at the Major and Yuri’s house. It was a little tight, but no-one complained. Aiko-chan and her parents, had the living room at Ryuuji and Ami’s house. Yasuko was alone in the bedroom that she normally shared with Aiko-chan and she didn’t care for that at all. Nanako and Hisako had come into town with Noto and Maya. The four of them were staying at a Hisamitsu house in Tokyo that was only a few train stops from where everyone else was. They hadn’t been apart all that long, but it seemed like everyone had been looking forward to this like a reunion.

All the schools were out since it was the first day of the week long vacation, and Ami had accepted an invitation to meet up with a few friends and chat. Wearing her sunglasses and sun-hat disguise, she was seated at one of the umbrella covered tables on the terrace that overlooked the Koishikawa Botanical Garden. The gardens were now full of blooming cherry blossoms, as well as a hundred other variety of flowering plants. It was a cool but sunny day today and watching the falling pink petals while sitting in the afternoon sunlight did wonders to lift Ami’s mood. From her vantage point, she had been watching families with energetic children playing in the grassy areas and couples walking amongst the blooming sakura. Catching herself looking at some of the cute things the girls were wearing, she sighed that it would be a while before she could wear any of those fashions again.

At almost five months pregnant, Ami could no longer wear anything in her normal wardrobe, In fact, while she was recently out shopping for maternity wear with Yuri, her closet and drawers had been raided by Ryuuji, Yasuko, and Aiko-chan and almost everything had been packed away. At first she had been furious, but she had to face the facts that she wouldn’t be wearing any of those things again for at least another five months. The problem of hanging onto her favorite clothes was exacerbated since this house in Tokyo, near the University, had smaller bedrooms and closets than the house near the high school. There just wasn’t enough room! Ami was lost in the thoughts of how she would look in another four months and how long it would take Onee-chan to get her back into shape after the baby was born. She didn’t look forward to the strenuous workouts, but she never tired of spending more time with Yasuko. Her reverie was broken when she heard a familiar voice calling out her name.

“Ami-chan!” Maya’s smile gave away how happy she was to see her friend again. Just behind her, Koigakubo Yuri was doing her best to follow in Maya’s wake. Both of them joined Ami at her table and ordered a couple of café lattes. Seeing Ami’s gaze at something down below in the park, Maya asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Families… playing with their children in the park.” Ami sighed. Remembering how rarely her mother seemed to have time for her when she was a child, she said “I was just wondering if someday I’ll be able to…”

“Of course you will,” Yuri smiled and confidently told her former student, “You and Ryuuji will be wonderful parents. How could you have any doubts?”

“Thank you sensei.” Ami smiled at her former teacher's encouraging words.

“I’m not your sensei any more!” Yuri corrected, “We got married within a few months of each other and… uh… apparently we got pregnant within a few months of each other too.”

“You’re pregnant too, sensei?” Maya almost shouted her question.

“Shhhhh!” Yuri hissed her embarrassment, “Yes. The honeymoon in Hawaii was… magical.”

“Congratulations!” Ami took Yuri’s hands and squeezed them.

“Yes sensei, congratulations from me as well!” Maya added her hands to the handclasp.

“Thank you very much,” Yuri replied to both of them and tried to reiterate her earlier wish, “Our time as sensei and student is over. I’d rather you thought of me now as a friend, or…”

“Please don’t say Onee-chan!” Ami laughed, “I’ve got all the Onee-chan I could ever want… or need! If it’s okay with you, I would be honored to call you my friend.”

“Does that go for me too?” Maya asked.

“Of course!” Yuri smiled, “Even if you’re not in the _married and pregnant_ club, I still want you to call me Yuri-chan or Yuri from now on. Whichever you feel comfortable with.”

“Um… yeah. About that club.” Maya blushed as she told her friends, “It sees that I am a member too.”

“Huh?” both Ami and Yuri gaped, “Whaaat?”

“Yeah, so… that thing we talked about before Ami?” Maya looked across at both Ami and Yuri, “In six years, our kids will all be in Kindergarten. It’s still my dream that they go to the same school.”

“Tokyo will be a hell of a commute from Tokushima.” Yuri reminded Maya.

“We’ll be done with school by then and living here as well.” Maya bit her lip and worried that she was going too far by suggesting this, “I’ve already talked this over with Noto and he knows that I want our children to go to the school where sensei… Yuri-chan is teaching. That is… if it is okay with you?”

“That sounds like a marvelous plan!” Ami agreed and turned to her former teacher, “Unless you object to becoming the teacher of our children?”

“No!” Yuri realized that both of the girls were turning to her for her approval, “That… that sounds wonderful, let’s all look forward to it!”

.

**Thursday afternoon, April 29 – Koishikawa Botanical Garden**

* * *

After seeing Ami off, at the entrance to the Sudoh Bucks where she was going to meet with the girls, he headed over to the botanical gardens across the street. Ami wasn’t with Ryuuji, but he certainly wasn’t alone when he got there. Noto, Hisako, and Nanako saw him first, but soon he was also surrounded by everyone else. So many of his friends had taken this opportunity to wear their kimono’s that it looked like a sequel to the Hisamitsu wedding reception. At first Ryuuji thought that they were all wearing the same kimono’s he had seen only a month before, but something looked different.

“You noticed, didn’t you?” Nanako smiled up at Ryuuji. Teasing him, she added, “Of course it would be expected of Ryuuji-sama.”

“Something is different.” Ryuuji looked hard at the Kimono that Nanako was wearing, then looked at a few of the others. “The sleeves are longer and they are all… brighter.”

“Very good,” Nanako took Ryuuji’s arm and walked with him while Hisako walked with Noto. “I’m trying something different. Long trailing sleeves with bright fabrics and colorful patterns like a Furisode, but made of a cotton blend, instead of silk.”

“Eh?” Ryuuji wondered why anyone would want that.

“Look,” Nanako gestured over to a stand of trees where Suzume and Umeki were chasing Aiko-chan under the blossom filled branches. All three of the girls were laughing merrily while their parents and older sibling watched with smiles. “Do you think their parents could remain calm if they thought their daughters were playing like that in an expensive silk Furisode?”

“Heh.” Ryuuji chuckled, “You have a point.” Studying the people he knew, he asked Nanako, “Is everyone wearing these Kimono’s that you made?”

“Not everyone…” Nanako sounded as if Ryuuji had figured out a closely guarded fetish, “its… its my hobby, you know. But I didn’t have measurements for Umeki-chan’s or Aiko-chan’s parents so…”

“I’m not criticizing,” Ryuuji said quickly to end Nanako’s unexpected embarrassment, “I think it’s amazing.”

“You do?” Nanako was surprised.

“Yeah,” he reassured her, “If you haven’t already chosen a major at Tokushima, I think something along the lines of clothing design or fashion would be a great idea.”

“Really?” Nanako asked as she looked back at Hisako.

Hisako only shook her head to let her girlfriend know that she hadn’t told him about the decision Nanako had recently been struggling with.

“Yes.” Ryuuji answered and went on to tell her, “Actually, if you’re going to be in town for the week, we need to get together and talk about costumes for the next performance.”

“Huh?” Nanako had worried that they would be switching to a professional costumer since Ryuuji’s charges were professional performers now.

“There’s no change to you retaining creativity control… as long as it’s not too risqué for the under-aged girls.” Ryuuji paused before telling her the really good news, “But, since we’re not all high school students any more, we can’t let you continue doing this for free. So, the agency sent me a contract to go over with you.”

“What?” Nanako was thrilled and stunned at the same time. “Oh Ryuuji!” she turned and kissed him several times on the cheek before he could react.

“Hey, careful now!” Ryuuji fended off another kiss, “Getting me killed by Hisako is not a good way to thank me!”

“Ack!” Ryuuji looked to Noto for help.

“Don’t look at me,” Noto put both hands up and took a step back, “I am not going to kiss you.”

Hisako stopped Nanako from any further attack by pulling her away from Ryuuji. At first, they worried that Hisako really was upset, but she silently pointed down the walkway that ran along the flowering hedges at the pair of girls that had been watching them.

Ryuuji looked up in surprise to see the equally stunned faces of Minori and Taiga.

.

“So, you’re going to the same college with Minori-chan?” Ryuuji awkwardly tried to make small talk in the difficult atmosphere. They were seated opposite each other at a park café table. Ryuuji was sipping a strong black coffee while Taiga sat looking into the swirls of her latte.

“Yeah… I got into a club too.” Taiga also tried to keep the conversation going.

 _Pffft!_ Ryuuji spit his mouthful of coffee onto the table, “You? Joined a club?”

“Hey, it’s not that weird!” Taiga replied angrily to Ryuuji’s reaction, “They have a Kendo club for girls.”

Both of them tried to ignore the snickering they heard from the next table over where Nanako, Hisako, Noto, and Minori were sipping their drinks and watching over the two.

“In that case, I bet you’re pretty good at it.” Ryuuji recalled the night after first meeting the Palm Top Tiger, when she almost killed him because she thought he read her love letter to Kitamura.

“You do?” Taiga was surprised to hear Ryuuji say that until she remembered the same night and frowned, “I am pretty good… but they have a lot of rules that make it more difficult for me.”

“The opponent has to play by the same rules, right?” Ryuuji asked.

“Yeah.” Taiga droned.

“Then you’ll be fine.” Ryuuji said confidently.

“I hope so. We have a competition coming up in three weeks and…” Taiga said with a bored voice until Ryuuji interrupted her.

“I want to see it.” Ryuuji said firmly.

“What?” Taiga’s boredom was gone and she was frantically trying to undo what she had just said, “No… I won’t be ready! It’s just a preliminary match!”

“Do I need tickets?” Ryuuji asked.

Taiga closed her mouth and refused to answer but Minori pulled out her cell phone.

“How many do you want?” Minori asked.

“Minorin!” Taiga squealed at her traitorous friend.

“Let’s see…” Ryuuji wanted to take everyone that would be available. He turned to Noto and asked, “Will you be in town?”

“Maybe,” Noto thought about it as he pulled out his cell phone to send out some texts, “Just get your own group. Shinako-san may want to join us so I’ll call Minori-chan later and get our tickets.”

“Eight for me then.” Ryuuji reconsidered, “Better make it ten. Aiko-chan, Suzume, or Umeki might want to bring a friend or two.”

“Oooooh! Thank you, Ryuuji-sama!” the younger girls chorused.

 _Ryuuji-sama?_ Taiga almost gagged on her latte. _I will never get used to that._

“Go ahead and put me down for seven.” Noto decided that he would get the tickets now, since Shinako had already responded that she would be delighted to attend.

“Seven?” Nanako asked.

“I thought we would invite your mother and Maya’s aunt as well.” Noto explained while continuing to text, “Since they work in Tokyo, they’ll already be here. So, all I have to do is get them a hotel room and they’ll be set.” When he looked up, he found Nanako smiling at him.

“I’m so glad Maya found you.” Nanako leaned back into Hisako and took her girlfriends hand.

“Uh… thank you.” Noto blushed.

“Well then,” Ryuuji looked back to Taiga, “I guess that makes everyone happy.”

“I’m not!” Taiga hissed. _I’m not a toy to perform for your amusement! Who the hell do you think you are…_

“Taiga,” Minori said in a monotone as she finished making the ticket orders through her cell phone, “they are coming to see you because they are your friends.”

“Friends…” Taiga repeated. Her eyes focused on Ryuuji as the word echoed inside her mind.

“Yes Taiga. Friends.” Ryuuji confirmed Minori’s words.

“We… we can be friends?” Taiga asked as she fought to keep the tears back.

“Yes.” Ryuuji told her in a way that he hoped she would understand, “Just like you and Kitamura are now friends.”

“Ah!” Taiga recoiled inside. She had confessed to Kitamura once, only to be told that they could only be friends. She had fought hard to win his love anyway, but in the end it all came to nothing. He was in love with someone else and he would not be swayed. Now, Ryuuji was saying…

“Taiga…” Minori also understood the reference too. On the one hand, she wanted to hit Ryuuji for delivering such a solid blow to her fragile little friend. But on the other hand, this should put an end to any false hope that Taiga might be clinging to and let her begin to clear the slate. To start over.

“I… understand.” Taiga lowered her head and wiped away the few tears that had welled up. She took a deep breath while everyone waited to see if the Palm Top Tiger really could handle this. When she raised her head, there was a little redness around her eyes but the tears were gone and there was a look of determination on her face.

As soon as he saw that face, Ryuuji knew she would be okay. He had seen that face so many times before.

“All right then. Friends it is!” Taiga grasped Ryuuji’s hand in an arm-wrestling style handshake, “And in three weeks you’re all coming to watch me kick ass!”

 

To paraphrase one of my favorite historical figures:

**Now, this is not The End.**

**It is not even the Beginning of The End.**

**But, for this rich cast of characters that we have come to love so much – it is perhaps,**

**The End of the Beginning.**

 

 

 

* * *

 ******Cast of Characters**

* * *

At the point of the story that I put this together, the storyline date is 1 March, 2010 – the beginning of the new school year in Japan. Because of this, some of the characteristics may vary from published canon resources since they represent 2008 statistics. A year will not have affected the adults much, but many of the teenagers (and Aiko-chan) will have grown some in that time.

 

 **Aisaka Taiga** (Taiga-chan)  
female 145cm 34kg Birthday: 07/26/91 Amber eyes long orange-gold hair. She will be attending Waseda University in Tokyo, with Minori.

 

 **Takasu Ryuuji** (Ryuuji, Takasu-kun, Taka-chan, Takasu, Ryu-chan, Ryuuji-kun, Takasu-san, Mr. Manager, Ryuuji-sama)  
male 179cm 91kg Birthday: 04/11/91 black eyes shoulder length dark blue hair

After the wedding and honeymoon, he will be attending Tokyo U. with Ami.

This is a good place to explain names. Use of the first name suggests familiarity, so more to less familiar for him would be: Ryu – Ryuuji – Taka – Taskasu

Suffixes generally convey levels of respect, so childish to respectful would be: chan – kun – san - senpai – sama  
Mr. Manager would have the familiarity and respect equivalence of Takasu-san.

 

 **Takasu Yasuko** (Ya-chan, Yasuko, Onee-chan, Takasu-chan)  
female 163cm 60kg Birthday: 06/04/76 brown eyes long blond hair

Mother of Takasu Ryuuji. Although there is a word for 'mother', Ryuuji never uses it because it makes Yasuko feel old. Onee-chan technically means 'big sister' but lots of people (Ami included) have made her their honorary big sister and she is thrilled with that. She will be moving to Tokyo to live with Ami & Ryuuji and take care of their child (children) while they attend college. If negotiations with the parents are successful, she will also be taking care of Aiko-chan while she lives with them in Tokyo.

 

 **Kawashima Ami** (Ami-chan, Ami, Amin, Kawashima-san, Ami-senpai)  
female 174cm 57kg Birthday: 11/14/91 violet eyes long blue hair

Ami is the daughter of a media star (Kawashima Anna). She is already a successful model and has aspirations to be a star herself. She is called 'senpai' (senior / mentor) by young Aiko-chan who aspires to be a model too. At the time of the wedding (graduation day), she is four months pregnant but does not appear so, when she wears the formal wedding kimono. After the wedding and honeymoon, she will be attending Tokyo U. with Ryuuji.

 

 **Kushieda Minori** (Minorin, Kushieda, Minori-chan, Kushieda-san)  
female 168cm 61kg Birthday: 01/18/92 purple eyes short pink hair

Highly energetic, dreams of being a softball player at the international level. Taiga's best friend and Ryuuji's original love interest, he gave her up for Taiga during the anime. She and Ryuuji are friends now. After graduation, she has a softball scholarship to Waseda U. in Tokyo. She may be living with her friend, Minami Umeko while attending college.

 

 **Kitamura Yusaku** (Kitamura-kun, Kitamura, Maruo, Yusaku)  
male 169cm 66kg Birthday: 08/30/91 dark blue-green eyes short dark blue-green hair

Ryuuji's first friend. Ami’s childhood friend. Maya and Taiga's original love interest in the anime. His love interest is Sumire Kano. It is because of his love for Sumire that he graduates early and follows her to the overseas university. Along with Ryuuji and Noto, some of the smartest students in the school.

Currently attending a college in California with his fiancé Sumire.

 

 **Kihara Maya** (Maya-chan, Maya, Kihara, Kihara-san)  
female 161cm 44kg Birthday: 12/03/91 red-brown eyes long orange-brown hair

Currently in love with, and engaged to, Hisamitsu Noto. Best friends: Kashii Nanako, Kurosawa Hisako, and Kawashima Ami. Raised as an only child, has some issues with sharing. She is now winning the battle against childish behavior (sharing issues & jealousy), but still doesn't like change.

After graduation, she will be attending Tokushima U. with Noto and Nanako.

 

 **Kashii Nanako** (Nanako, Kashii, Nanako-chan)  
female 158cm 45kg Birthday: 05/24/91 purple eyes very long purple hair

Also raised as an only child, she is a childhood friend of Kihara Maya. Good at cooking and sewing, likes making costumes (cosplay outfits). Now in a relationship with Kurosawa Hisako.

After graduation, she will be attending Tokushima U. with Noto and Maya.

 

 **Haruta Koji** (Haruta, Haruta-kun, Koji-san, Dude-san)  
male 170cm 73kg Birthday: 04/20/91 blue eyes long dark blue hair

Childhood friend of Hisamitsu Noto. From a large family and is in an arranged marriage with someone he is in love with anyway. Dude! Happy-go-lucky attitude. His appearances are rare since he spends a lot of time with his fiancé (who appears only once in the anime and is unnamed).

After graduation and marrying his fiancé, he will be learning the family business from his uncle.

 

 **Hisamitsu Noto** (Noto, Noto-kun, Hisamitsu-san, Noto-sama)  
male 168cm 65kg Birthday: 02/17/92 brown eyes short sandy-brown hair

Childhood friend of Haruta Koji and also from a large and influential family. In love with and engaged to Kihara Maya. Studious and intelligent, he can be courageous when the situation requires it.

After graduation, she will be attending Tokushima U. with Maya and Nanako.

 

 **Hisamitsu Noriko** (Noriko-chan, Noriko, Noriko-san) [Original Character]  
female 168cm 66kg Birthday: 03/30/91 brown eyes short sandy-brown hair

Noto's biological sister. Deceased 09/12/2009.

 

 **Hisamitsu Shinako** (Shinako, Shinako-san) [Original Character]  
female 154cm 43kg Birthday: 11/22/88 brown eyes long dark brown hair

A second cousin of Noto's. She is the confidant and trusted lieutenant of the matriarch of the Hisamitsu family. She will assist Noto when his time comes to take the leadership of the Hisamitsu family.

 

 **Hisamitsu ‘** **Obasama’** (Obasama) [Original Character]  
female 168cm 64kg Birthday: 01/16/44 brown eyes long white hair

Noto's grandmother. Matriarch of the Hisamitsu family, she is tasked with managing the family's affairs until Noto has finished college and is ready to take control.

 

 **Koigakubo Yuri** (sensei, Yuri-chan, Koigakubo-san)  
female 162cm 57kg Birthday: 08/12/78 red-brown eyes long red-brown hair

Sensei means 'teacher', and she was a teacher at the high school where Ryuuji, Ami, Noto, etc. just graduated. In the anime she was distressed about hitting thirty and not having a romantic interest. In WSP she is now married to Major Locke and is two months pregnant at the time of the graduation.

After graduation, she will move to Tokyo where she will begin teaching at the Meiji Affiliated HS.

 

 **Minami Umeko** (Minami-san, Umeko-chan, Umeko) [Original Character]  
female 161cm 48kg Birthday: 07/01/87 sea-green eyes black shoulder-length hair

Older sister of Minami Suzume, she met the main characters first as the stewardess on the Green Car (first-class, luxury, etc.) of the bullet train that took Ryuuji, Ami, Yasuko, and Yuri to Tokyo. She is responsible for her younger sister and worries about her traveling too far away. A former championship softball player, she is now one of Minori’s best friends.

 

 **Miname Suzume** (Suzume-chan, Suzume-senpai) [Original character]  
female 178cm 54kg Birthday: 10/11/94 sea-green eyes very long red hair

Just graduated from Kyujosho Middle School, Suzume will be a first year student in the Meiji Affiliated HS in Tokyo along with Ueda Umeki. She had long been a fan of Kawashima Ami and followed her lead in becoming a model. She is called 'senpai' (senior / mentor) by young Aiko-chan who aspires to be a model too. Suzume is in a _more-than-friends_ relationship with Ueda Umeki.

 

 **Ueda Umeki** (Umeki-chan, Ueda-san) [Original character]  
female 152cm 42kg Birthday: 06/07/94 brown eyes long black hair

Originally bookish and introverted, she opened up to Minami Suzume and has dedicated herself to supporting Suzume in her dream in the entertainment business. Umeki just graduated from Kyujosho Middle School with Suzume, who she is now in a relationship with. Her parents were reluctant to let her associate with Ryuuji & Ami’s group at first, but have been amazed at her social development and drive to succeed with Suzume. After her middle school graduation, she will move to Tokyo where she will begin attending the Meiji Affiliated HS with Suzume.

 

 **Yamada Yukiko** (Yuki-chan, Yamada-san) [Original Character]  
female 162cm 50kg Birthday: 03/09/82 ice blue eyes long dark brown hair

Third (middle) Daughter of the influential Yamada family and likely to inherit the family leadership position. She is one of the few friends that is present at the formal Japanese wedding of Ami and Ryuuji.

 

 **Yamada** **Natsuko** (Natsuko-chan, Yamada-san) [Original Character]  
female 164cm 56kg Birthday: 07/14/84 gray-blue eyes long dark brown hair

Fourth Daughter of the influential Yamada family. Supports her older sister Yukiko’s bid to inherit the family’s leadership position.

 

 **Yamada** **Haruko** (Haruko-chan, Yamada-san) [Original Character]  
female 160cm 44kg Birthday: 04/21/87 hazel eyes very long dark brown hair

Fifth Daughter of the influential Yamada family. Supports her older sister Yukiko’s bid to inherit the family’s leadership position. She is one of the few friends that is present at the formal Japanese wedding of Ami and Ryuuji. Also enamored with Ryuuji.

 

 **Kurosawa Hisako** (Hisako-chan, Hisako, Hisako-senpai) [Original Character]  
female 176cm 54kg Birthday: 03/22/88 purple eyes long black hair

Originally believed to be the reason Ami dropped out of modeling, she is at the center of much controversy since the magazine articles have revealed the truth that she and Ami are actually good friends. She remains loyal to 'Ryuuji-sama' but has acknowledged that in her future (five years or so), she will be working with/for Hisamitsu Noto. Bisexual with a preference for women, she is currently in a relationship with Nanako. She will be moving to Tokushima to live with Noto, Maya, and Nanako as they go to college.

 

 **Aiko-chan** (Aiko, Aiko-chan) [Original Character]  
female 154cm 40kg Birthday: 08/08/00 Amber eyes long orange-gold hair

Aiko has finished her third year in grade school and is now much too tall to pass for a mirror image of Taiga. She is now 9cm taller and, since associating with her model friends, is now happy with her height. She has a spectacular singing voice and her first few songs (with Ami, Hisako, and Suzume) have been released. She still refers to all the models as 'senpai' and refers to Ryuuji as Mr. Manager or Ryuuji-sama. She does _**not**_ like it when people have to leave. Yasuko and Ryuuji are negotiating with her parents to allow her to move to Tokyo with them to continue her entertainment career and attend either a local elementary school, or the Meiji Affiliated school with Suzume and Umeki.

 

 **Major Locke** , United States Air Force (The Major, Major Charming) [Original Character]  
male 187cm 101kg Birthday: 06/14/76 green eyes short blond hair

He met the group when they were on a photo shoot on Iejiima (near Okinawa) and Yuri's leg was broken when the equipment he was working on spooked her horse.

Now married to Koigakubo Yuri, he plans to move to Tokyo with her.

 

 **Corporal Deena Walker** , Royal Australian Air Force (Deena-chan, Deena) [Original Character]  
female 189cm 82kg Birthday: 09/22/87 blue eyes platinum blond hair

After the RAAF assigned her to Okinawa for training on new equipment, she was acquired by Major Locke for 'special projects'. She is a good friend of the models and was present for both Ami & Ryuuji’s wedding at the Le Dauphin Hotel, and the Major & Yuri’s wedding at Yakota Air Base. Having finished her original training mission, she returned to Australia after the Major’s wedding (26 December 2009), much to the sorrow of Aiko-chan who had taken to her as an older sister.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .
> 
> **Glossary**
> 
> **E** **boshi** headpiece: a ceremonial hat worn by Shinto priests at formal occasions.
> 
>  **Furisode** : A formal Kimono for young unmarried women. Typified by bright colors and long sleeves.
> 
>  **Hakama** : The long pleated skirt worn by men and shrine maidens.
> 
>  **Haiden** : Worship Hall. The public part of the building that houses the Shinto shrine.
> 
>  **Haori** : A hip to thigh length Kimono-like jacket. It is not bound by an Obi.
> 
>  **Homongi** : also called the visiting wear kimomo. It is less colorful than a Furisode and is appropriate for friends of the bride and groom to wear to the wedding and reception.
> 
>  **Irotomesode** : A Kimono for female relatives (not mothers) of the bride and groom. It is typically a single color (not black) with imagery only below the waist.
> 
>  **Kami** : gods
> 
>  **Kampai** : Cheers!
> 
>  **Kendo** : an armed form of martial arts that uses the kind of wooden sword (bokken) that Taiga was seen using in the anime.
> 
>  **Kotatsu** : a low table with a heating element underneath and an insulating blanket that wraps around the sides. Usually set out at the end of autumn and packed away by the end of spring.
> 
>  **Kurotomesode** : Kimono worn only by the mothers of the bride and groom. Black with patterns below the waist.
> 
>  **Miko** : shrine maiden
> 
>  **Nakodo** : Matchmaker. If not an arranged marriage the role is filled by a family member or friend.
> 
>  **Obi** : The belt that is wrapped around a Kimono as a belt and tied in the back.
> 
>  **San-san-ku-do** : a ceremonial pouring of saké into three bowls and taking turns drinking it
> 
>  **Shirokakeshita** : Kimono worn by the bride, usually white with long sleeves.
> 
>  **Uchikake** : Colorful over-garment worn by the bride. It is not bound by an Obi.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is concluded.


End file.
